In October, Stewart made his second appearance at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii a memorable one, walking away as champion. Stewart not only placed first in the men's physically challenged division, but he also set an unofficial record in that division. He placed 531st overall among a field of 1,454 competitors, finishing the coarse with an impressive time of 10 hours, 48 minutes and 15 seconds. Earlier in 2002, he earned a silver medal in a Nordic relay at the Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City; the medal was Team USA's first Nordic relay medal in either Olympic or Paralympic competition.

So how does one go about becoming an Ironman? Since we can only start by learning from the best, usolympicteam.com spoke with Stewart as he explained his tips on how to become an Ironman.

Tips on how to become an Ironman

Tip #1 - Getting to the starting line healthy is 90% of the game.
If you train too hard you will get hurt, and if you are hurt you cannot train. Volume over intensity. Long hours of training at low intensity is key. Slowly start increasing intensity while lowering volume.

 Tip #2 - Get adequate rest.
Get to bed early and also wake up early. Train in the morning and in the afternoon make your second workout a little easier than your morning one. Also make sure you get one day of rest a week.

Tip #3 - Keep everything in moderation.
Wine is good. A lot of wine is bad. Too much whining is even worse.

Tip #4 - Be extra kind to friends and family.
Your support group is pivotal while training. You will need them on race day, so start out kind.

Tip #5 - Enjoy the moment.
Race how you have trained, not to your desire. Desire sinks ships; your training is truth.

Tip #6 - Smile along the way.
Smiling along the way lessens the pain.