WINSTON-SALEM -- By day, David Daggett is an accomplished attorney. At night, however, he sheds his suit and tie for a pair of sweats.

As partner in the well-known Lewis & Daggett law firm, Daggett is known for his tough stance on workers' compensation and personal injury cases. But few know that when he's not at his Winston-Salem office mulling over briefs you can often find the legal eagle at the gym.

"I was always an athlete, always a competitor," Daggett explained.

That drive led Daggett to compete in his first triathlon 25 years ago. Since then he's competed in more than 150 events, including 16 Ironman competitions. Next week he faces yet another challenge -- the Ironman World Triathlon Championship in Kona, Hawaii.

It's a pretty daunting task. It includes a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, as Daggett explained. To complete the triathlon, Daggett has adopted a strict workout regiment.

"Get up around 4:45 a.m., in the swimming pool by 5:30 a.m., get a workout in, get to the office usually around 6:30 a.m."

That would be an extraordinary day for some but it's just a typical day for Daggett. In fact, he is one of only 1,700 athletes in the world to qualify for the Triathlon Championship, and at 47, he is one of the oldest.

"It didn't surprise me,” said longtime friend Mary McClure. “It didn't surprise me at all. I mean this is who he is and he's been doing this for several years now."

So how does this husband, father, lawyer, athlete do it?

"Hard work to determination, to setting goals, to reaching goals," said Daggett.

Those are strengths that colleagues like legal assistant Tomisha Gladman say make Daggett an even stronger lawyer.

"He gives the same type of dedication to this law firm as he does to his training," she said.

Others say they don't think he'll ever stop either.

"He's terrific, he's driven. He is a perfectionist. He'll be doing this until he's 99 [years old]," said McClure.

"You just keep putting one foot in front of the other and if you keep doing that, good things happen to you," explained Daggett.

He will head to Hawaii this week where he will compete next Saturday in the Ironman World Championship.