Chris Daniel, 57, set his personal best at the 2008 Ford Ironman Florida at Panama City Beach, finishing the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run in 9:34:51. He also won the 55-59 age group at 2017 Penticton ITU Aquabike World Championships, finishing a three-kilometer swim and a 120-km bike ride in 4:06:43. Chris' son, Stefan, 21, won the 2015 Para Triathlon World Championships and won the silver medal in the men's PT4 at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
"That type of sport is pretty near and dear to my heart," Chris said. "When they were younger, because of their proximity, I wanted the boys to learn how to swim. It's more fun when it's just not my two children but the cousins, too. The more involved, the more fun it is. It was natural for me to include [Tychonick] and his brothers with the sports I cared about."
Now, Tychonick's focus is on hockey. In 2017-18, he finished third among defenseman with 47 points (nine goals, 38 assists) for Penticton of the British Columbia Hockey League and will attend the University of North Dakota in the fall.
Tychonick, who hasn't competed in a triathlon since he was 14, said having that background has been beneficial for his hockey career.
"You go to the gym and get stronger, but I think the cardio side is important, having energy in the third period," Tychonick said. "So we would always go for swims, bikes and runs. It's a lot of fun. Plus, spending time with [my family] is the biggest thing."