As a person with Down syndrome, I used to accept society’s messages of what I can’t do.

But then I charted a new course. 

I made a plan to build a 1% better habit — to get 1% better every day in my training. It may not seem like much, but it made a world of difference.

I became the first person with Down Syndrome EVER to finish an IRONMAN Triathlon. That's a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile marathon run. I’m in Guinness World Records for it!

I know that other people with intellectual disabilities (ID) can achieve amazing things like this, too. But they need your help. So I'm challenging you to help Special Olympics do 1% more today — if we raise $25,000, we can support 1% more athletes this month in North America than we could before!

Are you up for the challenge? Make a contribution today to help us give more Special Olympics athletes everything  they need to compete and thrive!

Getting just 1% better every day helped me make real progress, see tangible change, and achieve my dream.

I was able to make history and I’m not stopping there. I recently ran the Boston Marathon and will be running the New York Marathon this weekend.

But more importantly, building a 1% better habit helped me tune out the critics and the negativity and focus on what I can do, what I could achieve.

I may be the first person with Down syndrome to cross the finish line of an IRONMAN race, but I know I won't be the last. When you continue your support of Special Olympics today, more athletes like me will be able to train and achieve their goals!

Chris Nikic
Special Olympics athlete & Champion Ambassador