We all celebrate firsts in our lives: first steps, first words, first kiss, first car, and so on down the line. They’re all little milestones along the journey of our lives.
But for the most part, those firsts are specific to us and really only special to us. But one man in Florida gets to celebrate being the first to do something ever , and it’s a huge deal we should all be celebrating.
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Chris Nikic, a 21-year-old from Florida, has become the first person with Down syndrome to finish the grueling Ironman triathlon.
And he just barely managed to do it, completing Ironman Florida’s 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and 26.2 miles of running in a total of 16 hours and 46 minutes, which is just under the 17-hour cutoff mark.
“You have shattered barriers while proving without a doubt that Anything is Possible!” Ironman Florida wrote on Facebook . “We are beyond inspired, and your accomplishment is a defining moment in IRONMAN history that can never be taken away from you.”
Chris is also the first person with Down syndrome to even attempt an Ironman triathlon.
And as he and his dad told the Orlando Sentinel , it was more than doctors ever expected Chris to be able to do.
“From the time he was born, we were told by everyone that he’d never do anything or amount to anything or be able to accomplish anything [beyond] being able to tie his own shoes,” Chris’ dad, Nik Nikic, said. “And we believed them for the longest time.”
To say it’s been a long journey for Chris would be a huge understatement.
Chris had to have surgery when he was just five months old to repair two holes in his heart. He needed to use a walker to get around at age 3 and his parents tried seven different schools for him between kindergarten and grade five, trying to find the right fit.
At age 16, Chris needed more surgery, this time to reconstruct his ear canals. The recovery time got to Chris — after that downtime, he could barely swim a lap or run 100 yards. And so to motivate him, Nik gave him the goal of just getting 1% fitter every day, starting with just doing a single push-up.
Then, in January 2018, Chris decided to join a new Special Olympics Florida triathlon program.
It got him out on a bike, running trails, and swimming in open water in group training sessions. After one open-water training session where those who completed the 1 km swim got to sign their names on a wall, Chris qualified and wrote “Chris world champ” on the wall.
Training with his dad, Chris gradually worked toward that goal of improving by 1% every day, and he kept at it, learning the ins and outs of cycling and eventually getting good enough that he needed a professional trainer: Dan Grieb, a veteran of 16 Ironman races.
Chris trained with Grieb for four to eight hours a day for a year in preparation for the Ironman.
And, for safety reasons, the Ironman officials required Grieb to be tethered to Chris during the swimming and running portions of the race. But Chris did all the work to reach the finish line.
“Because this is a first for us, we had to work out some logistics,” Ironman’s VP of global operations told the Orlando Sentinel . “But I’ve met Chris, and he is so impressive. His heart is so big. And I think this will open doors for a lot of other folks who maybe just thought it was impossible.”
And just because Chris crossed the finish line, that doesn’t mean he’s done.
“To Chris, this race was more than just a finish line and celebration of victory,” Nik told the BBC . “Ironman has served as his platform to become one step closer to his goal of living a life of inclusion, normalcy, and leadership. It’s about being an example to other kids and families that face similar barriers, proving no dream or goal is too high. If Chris can do an Ironman, he can do anything.”
h/t: Orlando Sentinel
