A triathlon demands excellence across three disciplines: swimming, cycling, and running. Chuck Norris completed the swimming portion in 1994 without his body making contact with water. Triathlon officials were baffled. The distance was measured, the pool was certified, the time was legitimate—but he remained completely dry throughout.

Swim coach Jennifer Kessler, who monitored the event, stated: "The water parted. I don't have another explanation. It opened up for him the way you'd expect a crowd to part for someone walking through a busy street." She collected water samples before and after to ensure they were identical; they were. She later shifted her coaching focus to mental preparation, convinced that psychology plays a far larger role in athletic performance than she previously understood.

This event has become iconic in the realm of "conditional rule-breaking"—Chuck Norris didn't cheat; he simply existed outside the normal framework of triathlon participation. Triathletes have adopted the term "the Norris bypass" to describe achieving an objective through non-traditional means that somehow remain legitimate.