Trials andTriathlonsTrials andTriathlons

Triad lawyer says quitting is ‘not an option’, either in court or a race

www.nclawyersweekly.comVOL. 22, NO. 22 AUG. 10, 2009 $8.01 PER COPY

Triad lawyer says quitting is ‘notan option’, either in court or a race

By DIANA SMITH, Staff Writerdiana.smith@nc.lawyersweekly.com

As long as David Daggett can fit into his27-year-old suits, he’s OK.That’s the measuring stick the Winston-

Salem attorney uses to confirm that he’s stay-ing in shape.It’s not a vanity or body-image thing. It’s

the homemadewayDaggett, 49, canmonitorhis level of fitness— a hallmark that has ledhim to complete 151 triathlons and 18 Iron-man competitions over the years.“David’s a real champion among

lawyers,” said Woody Connette, a Charlotteattorney who completed his own Ironmanrace in 1991.“It’s not only the sheer number of

[triathlons] he’s done, but also the length oftime he’s been involved and the fact that he’san extraordinarily good lawyer and commu-nity leader, all at the same time.”Triathlons differ in length and include

three legs: swimming, cycling and running.The first event took place in San Diego in1974 with 46 participants.It was recognized as an Olympic sport in

2000. That event consists of a 0.93-mileswim, 25-mile cycle and 6.2-mile run.By contrast, Ironman consists of 2.4miles

in the water, 112 miles on a bike and a 26.2-mile marathon run.When asked how he manages to do it all,

Daggett says it comes down to a personal phi-losophy.“Never, ever give up. Not finishing is not

an option for me,” he declared.‘Good, not great’

For Daggett, the path to triathlon waspaved early in his life, even though he didn’trecognize it at first.An Indiana native, Daggett discovered he

was a natural athlete as a teenager. He wascaptain of his high schoolwrestling team andalso played football, eventually becoming theonly athletic letterman to play in the band.His instrument of choice: trombone.“I wasn’t very good,” Daggett admits.That insight ended up being instrumental

in Daggett’s development as a competitor.“I learned Iwas good at a lot of sports, but

not great at any one of them,” he said.That’s why triathlons appeal to him.“Being a jack-of-all-trades athlete …

makes a sport that combines events good forme,” explainedDaggett. “That’smy compet-itive advantage.”

David Daggett and his family (above and below) travel to Ironman competitionsin locations ranging from Hawaii to Idaho.

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Charlotte lawyer Woody Connette completed the Kepler Challenge, a 38-mile trailrun in New Zealand benefiting the Easter Seals UCP of North Carolina, in 2008. Hewill return to New Zealand to run again in December.

Madonia

White

In June’s Ironman competition in Coeurd’Alene, Idaho, Daggett’s race time of 11hours and 35 minutes placed him in the topfourth of overall finishers.His time surpassed that of theworld’s first

Ironman, Gordon Haller. In 1978, Hallercompleted the race in 11:46.Since that time, competitors have well

beaten Haller’s time, including Daggett him-self. His best race time over the years is 10:31.Others have trimmed the finish to aroundeight hours.Connette, theCharlotte lawyer, completed

the race in 13:50 in 1991.“David’s just in a different league than any

of the Walter Mitty-type stuff I was doing,”he joked.Mitty, a fictional character in authorJames Thurber’s work, was widely known tobe an inept dreamer.All told, Daggett was happy with his re-

sult this year. Before the race, he’d predictedhe would finish in 11:45, “give or take fiveminutes.”

He’s proud he came in 10 minutes aheadof that forecast.“When I was younger, I said I was rac-

ing,” Daggett told North Carolina LawyersWeekly. “Now, I say I’m participating.”And it really is worth it, said Connette,

who has retired from triathlons but completeda 38-mile trail run in New Zealand last year.He’s returning for the run in December.“Tome, Ironman is brutal,”Connette said.

“But at the end, it’s exhilarating. I can seewhy Dave keeps going back.”

Balancing extremesBesides getting a runners’ high, Daggett

said he returns to the race to test himself.“Every athlete has a physiological low

point, nomatterwhat,” he said. “Mine comesabout four hours and 45 minutes into anyworkout I do.“It doesn’t matter how good a shape I’m

in, somewhere around 4:45, I’m going tohave a serious bonk. It sounds kind of weird,but I like it. I like seeing how I’mgoing to re-spond.”That determination explains whyDaggett

is successful, saidWoodyWhite, aWilming-ton attorney who represents Set Up Events,the nation’s largest producer of triathlons.A trial lawyer, White completed his first

triathlon in 2006.He has never met Daggett, but White

commends him anyway. He knows what ittakes to participate in endurance races likeIronman.“That takes a tremendous amount of com-

mitment and conditioning,” saidWhite, whotrains six hours per week as compared toDaggett’s 10-hour regime.White and Daggett agreed that is not ade-

quate time to train for endurance events, butthey’ve made that choice deliberately.“Triathlonmeans different things to differ-

ent people,”White explained. “For some peo-ple, it is their life, and that’s great for them.And for other people, it’s a part of their life.”Daggett agrees.

‘Four anchors’When his first daughterwas born 10 years

ago, Daggett swore off after-work condition-ing in favor of family time.But he didn’t forego triathlons altogether.“I think most people have four basic an-

chors in their life — their professional life,family life, spiritual life (however they defineit) and the physical aspect of their life,” saidDaggett.“I think where most people get in trouble

is that they separate those things rather thanintegrate them. I think themore you can inte-grate the four, the more likely you are to suc-ceed at all four.”So what does that mean?It means Daggett’s awake at 5 a.m. for an

hour-long swim eachmorning.When he can,he breaks away from his desk at lunch andruns, either on his own or accompanied byMarc Madonia, a 35-year-old marathoner inhis firm.Thanks to a shower in his office, Daggett

can return to work spic-and-spanWhite, of Wilmington, knows the drill.

Fitting exercise into office gaps is what helpsmake lawyering and conditioning compati-ble.“If I conclude court early one day or see

the schedule gets readjusted or an appoint-

ment gets changed, I always keep a swimsuitand towel in my car and hit the pool on myway back from the courthouse,” he explained.OnweekendswhenDaggett needs a long-

distance run or ride, he’s been known towakeup at 3 a.m. and bike to meet his family forhiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway. If he’straining for Ironman, he’ll cycle home, too.“It’s almost comical,” said Madonia. “I

don’t know when he sleeps.”‘It’s the same’

All of the attorneys told North CarolinaLawyersWeekly there are similarities betweencompleting triathlons and being a lawyer.Both the profession and the sport are goal-

oriented and progress is measured incremen-tally, they said.Both also require commitment to getting

to the finish line, nomatter the outcome, theyadded.“Long-distance racing becomes a

metaphor for what you do on a daily basis,”said Daggett.“In a long-distance race, no matter how

hard you plan, the cards aren’t dealt exactlyhow you expect. What you have to do is beable to play the cards you’re dealt, not nec-essarily the ones you want, and keep goingto make the best out of the situation you’redealing with.“It’s the same way wherever you are,” he

added. “Whether you’ve had a rough sessionin the courtroom or racing on the lava fieldsin Hawaii, it’s the same wherever you are.”

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