"It's the pinnacle of any kind of championship," Cronin said. "I didn't even think twice about it."
Cronin, who works in counseling with athletes for the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer, ran his first marathon and then his first triathlon at 49.
"I hadn't swam anything more than recreational swimming since grammar school, and my last bicycle probably had a banana seat," he said. "But I thought, I could use a challenge."
And Cronin has been challenging himself ever since, having completed five Ironman competitions since then, said Bob Colaizzi, Cronin's personal trainer.
"The challenging part of my job is reeling Dan in, getting him to take rest days," Colaizzi said. "Dan is always wanting to do more, always wanting to go longer."
After trying his luck at a lottery to win one of 150 randomly-free opportunities to compete in the Ford Ironman Championship, and losing, Cronin looked to buying his way in on eBay ? through a tax-deductible bid.
"Life is short," Colaizzi said. "I'm a big believer in following your passion and doing things that are important to you. This is important to Dan."
While Cronin has a chance of fundraising the money and getting some of his money back, at this point he's paid the more than $20,000, and said he's just excited about the opportunity.
Come October, Cronin will join about 2,000 other qualifying athletes for the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run.
"I'm getting married on Oct. 14 in Kona," he said. "What better thing for a man like me to do than get married on one Saturday and race the Ironman the next week."
While hoping to do his best, Cronin said he's not too concerned with his placement in the race.
"The only way I'm going to win is if the first thousand people have a bicycle crash," he said. "I'm not delusional. I'm just going to do my best and I'm going to have a good time and I'm going to finish."
The race will be something he won't forget, he said.
