Nagging injuries are part of a decathlete's lot -- it's difficult to train for and compete in the 10-event test of speed, strength, endurance and athleticism without getting nicked.
"That's half the battle, just to try to stay healthy and fit, and be able to compete,'' said UAA's Cody Thomas.
Thomas won battles on two fronts Tuesday, when he grinded through shoulder and knee ailments to seize his third Great Northwest Athletic Conference decathlon championship with a personal-best 7,201 points in Lacey, Washington.
The senior All-American from New Zealand delivered the third-best point total in NCAA Division II this season. He also improved on the provisional national-meet qualifier (7,079 points) he already owned and easily earned an automatic berth by topping 7,100 points.
His point total improved his previous school record, and his personal best, of 7,189, set in 2014.
"It's a good little confidence-booster,'' Thomas said by cellphone.
Thomas' 7,210 points set a GNAC championship record. And his third decathlon title tied a GNAC record for most decathlon championships.
Thomas earned 10 points for UAA heading into the rest of the GNAC meet, May 13-14 in Monmouth, Oregon, where Thomas will likely compete in sprints, relays and jumps.
Thomas started Tuesday's Day 2 -- 110-meter high hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 meters -- with a commanding lead of 533 points. That's because Day 1 -- 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 meters -- is his stronger day, and he won all five events Monday. That included GNAC championship records in the high jump (6 feet, 7.50 inches) and 400 (48.0 seconds).
Thomas on Tuesday continued his record assault by posting a GNAC decathlon championship record in the hurdles (14.81).
While his discus (120-7), pole vault (12-4.5) and javelin (147-3) marks were not eye-popping, they were good enough to put him in position to break his personal best in the decathlon with a strong 1,500 to close the competition.
Thomas, UAA's Athlete of the Year in 2015, responded by clocking 4:38.38, an improvement of 2.06 seconds over his previous personal-best.
Overall, Thomas beat runner-up Payton Lewis of Northwest Nazarene (6,611 points) by 590 points.
Thomas' parents, Glenys Parsons and Ken Thomas, traveled from their home in Blenheim, New Zealand, and saw their son graduate Sunday with a degree in management and marketing. They also traveled to Lacey to see him compete -- it was the first time they've watched him in college -- and are returning to Alaska to spend time with him before attending the rest of the GNAC meet later this month.
UAA's Rosie Hewitt also competed Monday and Tuesday, finishing seventh in the heptathlon with 3,711 points. Hewitt also competed Monday and Tuesday, finishing seventh in the heptathlon with 3,711 points.
With school finished, Thomas said he plans to spend time showing his folks Alaska while staying sharp for the rest of the conference meet and national championships in Florida in late May.
Thomas also intends to spend plenty of time with UAA's sports medicine staff. Remember, half of a decathlete's battle is tending to inevitable nagging injuries.
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr