Chris Nikic's journey from Ironman to track

The motto of the Ironman Triathlon is: "Anything is possible". And Chris Nikic embodies those three words.

Over the past 23 years Nikic, who was born with Down syndrome, has overcome a host of challenges presented by his condition. But in his quest to prove he can overcome adversity, he set out to conquer one of the most grueling events in sport, a race that consists of a 2.4-mile swim, ride 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile marathon.

Completion of this event placed Nikic in the Guinness Book of World Records as the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman - in Florida in November 2020 at age 21 - and also earned him an Espy. But Nikic, who is also a Special Olympics Ambassador, has upped the ante and is preparing to toe the line at the Ironman World Championship race in Kona, Hawaii next month, followed by the New York City Marathon in November. .

Related Galleries

He has even bigger dreams for next year when he runs all six major marathons at around the world as part of an Adidas initiative called Runner 321, where this bib number is presented to an athlete with Down syndrome to facilitate their participation in mainstream sports. This number indicates the third copy of chromosome 21 that leads to Down syndrome.

But Nikic is not just an athlete. He also started a charity, 1% Better, which aims to make fitness accessible and achievable for people with special needs. The charity takes its name from Nikic's quest to improve by just 1% per day until a goal is reached. "I want to give people the same chances that I had," he said.

On Monday, the fashion industry will meet Nikic when he takes a training break to parade the catwalk during New York Fashion Week. He will be featured on the show Runway of Dreams where over 60 models with varying disabilities and backgrounds will sport adaptive collections from J.C. Penney, Target, Kohl's, Magnetic Me, No Limits, Steve Madden, Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive, Zappos.com , Adidas , French Toast Adaptive, Stemwear and Peerless Clothing.

That evening, Nikic will be presented with the Inspirational Achievement Award from the Runway of Dreams Foundation. He will also be modeling for Adidas, which has created a running shoe for him, and he will be joined on the catwalk that evening by his girlfriend Adrienne, who has autism.

Although he could have tackled shorter triathlons, Nikic wanted to attack the pinnacle of sport to prove that it was possible for a person with Down syndrome to overcome obstacles. It was part of her desire to live a more inclusive life and achieve her goals: "I wanted to earn my own money, own my own house, own my own car, and do an Ironman."

Mission Accomplished: Nikic managed to accomplish all three.

Chris NikicGetty Images