Chris Nikic: The First Athlete with Down Syndrome to Conquer the Ironman Triathlon"

Chris Nikic is one of those people who has the rare ability to instill in people a genuine belief that they can make their dreams come true. Chris was born in 1999 in Florida with Down syndrome and underwent open heart surgery at the age of five months.

He couldn't walk properly until he was four. But Chris never considered that an excuse for life's failures. On New Year's Eve 2019, Chris told his father Nick that he had a dream.

“I told my father that I wanted to have my own business, buy a house and a car, perform in public, get married and have a family.”

Nick had an idea: Chris could become the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon. This involves a 3.8km (2.4 mile) swim, a 180km (112 mile) bike ride, and a full 42.2km (26.2 mile) marathon to finish.

Chris Nikic and the 1% Better Method

Nick worked as a business consultant and used his experience to create a training plan for his son based on a business improvement system known as "1% Better," which involved developing a culture of continuous growth.

“When I first started training, I had a simple goal: improve by one percent in every exercise. Every day I swam an extra lap in the pool, did an extra lap on the bike, and ran an extra lap. In the gym, that meant one more pull-up, one more squat, one more push-up, and one more back squat. I knew I could one day complete an Ironman if I could get one percent stronger every day.”

Unlike progress in fitness, which was slow and steady, real-world competitive experience accelerated learning significantly. Chris's first competition was a sprint triathlon (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run), and Chris finished 10th out of 10 Special Olympics athletes who competed.

Undeterred, Chris trained hard with his dream in mind, eventually turning one mile into 140. In November 2020, just 11 months after he began training for the triathlon, Chris made history by finishing Ironman Florida.

“The hardest part was the bike, because I didn’t get off it for eight hours,” Chris admitted.

Chris' achievement went viral and his dream began to take shape

He was invited to speak at prestigious events, signed deals with a famous sportswear brand and restaurants, and a book deal.

At the 2021 ESPYS, the young triathlete's accomplishments were recognized with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, which is given to an athlete who, through perseverance and determination, has overcome significant obstacles.

In addition to his legendary Ironman finish less than a year after starting training, the 1% better method had another significant benefit. Chris never suffered any injuries, despite training four to eight hours a day.

“We stopped listening to the experts and decided to do it our way because everyone else was getting injured. With the 1%, your body adjusts gradually, without pain, without injury, without the problems that come with going too fast. It creates an ‘I can always do one more’ mentality. So unlike most athletes who quit when they get sore, Chris never quits because he always knows he can do one more. At any point in the race, he knows he can do one more.”

This helps Chris in other areas of his life as well: basketball, golf, school and public speaking.

With the same fearlessness, Chris took on more difficult challenges, completing two New York City Marathons and a second Ironman in Hawaii. So instead of competing for himself, he began to give hope to others.

"The brain becomes your friend, and when gradual improvement becomes a habit, it encourages you and helps you do more. When I hear people call me a hero, it makes me want to keep going."

New Challenge: Six World Marathon Majors in a Year

Chris is keen to continue challenging himself and plans to comfortably tackle his biggest challenge to date in 2023: completing all six World Marathon Majors: New York, Chicago, Boston, London, Berlin and Tokyo.

Another important goal of Chris is to continue to raise awareness for neurodivergent athletes around the world and give them the opportunity to compete in all major competitions.

Currently, only the Boston Marathon holds a race for neurodivergent athletes, and Ironman was the first major sports federation to include this category. Chris has undoubtedly created a happy life for himself as a triathlete who has made history and inspired people around the world.

But his world outside of sports seems idyllic, too. After this interview, he plans to go to boxing practice, play basketball, watch a movie, and finish a chocolate biscuit in his kitchen.

When asked what advice he could give to those who also want to get up and achieve their goals no matter what, he smiled and said, “Just keep moving forward.”