Chris Nikic’s Inspirational Story

Chris Nikic – The Iron Man

21-year-old Chris Nikic has made it into the Guinness World Record book as the first person with Down’s syndrome to complete an entire Ironman Triathlon event. According to Guinness World Records, Chris’s achievement is ‘awe-inspiring.’

The tri-athlete who hails from Florida swam 2.4 miles, cycled 112 miles, and ran a 26.2-mile marathon on the same day to complete the Ironman event. The event organised by the World Triathlon Corporation is one of the most taxing single-day sporting events in the world.

The Ironman event has been ongoing for the past 42 years, but Chris is the first athlete with Down’s syndrome to attempt and finish the event and go on to earn global recognition for his performance.

The race wasn’t all smooth sailing for Chris, who injured his knees and blood was shed when he got involved in a bike crash during his cycling. However, he didn’t let this stop him and through grit and determination he persisted on.

Chris successfully crossed the finish line after 16 hours, 46 minutes, and nine seconds, arriving 14 minutes under the official cut-off time, which was an outstanding performance.

If you are struggling to get motivated to exercise in lockdown, Chris’s moto is 1% better. Where each day he just tries to be 1% better than the last. Something most can manage. Check out his website where he has an awesome 1% better 30 day challenge you can get involved with.

Below is an emotional clip of Chris and his father discussing his journey on Theo Von’s podcast “This Past Weekend”… the full episode is also a great listen.

 

Thanks for reading and watching.

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