PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA — As Reilly Walsh approached the finish line and the coveted banner that was stretched across it, even he couldn’t believe it.

The former St. Peter’s basketball star couldn’t help but put his hands around his head, with his jaw dropping, as if to say, ‘is this really happening?’

Yes, it did happen.

Walsh placed first overall among a field of nearly 2,000 competitors at IRONMAN Florida early last month. The ex-Jaques Award winner is believed to be the first Staten Islander to win the grueling triathlon, which includes a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run.

“I was in shock, for sure,’' said the 28-year-old Walsh, who played Division I basketball at the New Jersey Institute of Technology after graduating from St. Peter’s in 2015. ”You really have to b

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