Athletes prove anything is possible in Dorchester's Ironman 70.3 Eagleman
History was made at the June 11 Ironman 70.3 Eagleman triathlon, as Chris Nikic of Clermont, Florida – the first person with Down syndrome to complete a full-distance Ironman triathlon – …
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Athletes prove anything is possible in Dorchester's Ironman 70.3 Eagleman
History was made at the June 11 Ironman 70.3 Eagleman triathlon, as Chris Nikic of Clermont, Florida – the first person with Down syndrome to complete a full-distance Ironman triathlon – was accompanied by three friends from the Special Olympics.
Florida residents Kennet Lefkovic, Jonathan Sady and Marlynne Stutzman joined Nikic to become the largest contingent of athletes with an intellectual disability to race an Ironman 70.3 triathlon.
All four athletes, racing as part of Team Ironman Foundation, a part of the Race For Change initiative finished the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike and 13.1-mile half-marathon within time limits, marking the day as both a historic feat and another reminder that anything is possible.
“Sunday was a historic day for athletes competing with an intellectual disability in our PC/ID Open Division, and we are so proud of what Chris, Marlynne, Kennet and Jonathan accomplished on race day,” said Beth Atnip, Ironman senior vice president of global operations. “All they needed was an opportunity to show what they are capable of doing, and it was nothing short of amazing.”
Nikic, Lefkovic and Sady are three of the original four who started the Special Olympics triathlon pilot in Florida during spring 2018. Stutzman, along with many other athletes, joined the Special Olympics Triathlon program after seeing Nikic make history in November 2020, when he became the first person with Down syndrome to finish a full-distance Ironman triathlon, earning a Guinness World Record.
Since then, Nikic has continued to be a pioneer in endurance sports racing events around the world.
While Ironman has had athletes with an intellectual disability race at its events in previous years, earlier this year Ironman announced updates to its competition rules, including a modified PC/ID Open division which formalized inclusivity for athletes with an intellectual disability like had previously existed for physically challenged and special teams athletes.
“We never imagined we would be doing an Ironman 70.3 together, but it just happened,” Nikic said. “It means that anyone can do it if they work hard and get 1 percent better.”
