Iron Man: Khurram Khan
HOUSTON: Trodding the finish line on May 16, with a 15:39:41 completion time with a dual Pakistan/USA flag across his back, the first Pakistani American made history at the IRONMAN North American Championship Texas 2015. “I am lost for words, breathless and frozen – Wow”. These were the silent yet emotional words still jogging in Khurram Khan’s head after a relentless fight of perseverance and inner strength, completing the annual Ironman North American Championship Texas Triathlon; one of the most well respected physical and mental endurance competitions in the world. To put in perspective, less than 1% of the total world population that competes in the elusive 3-sport challenge actually completes it successfully. For those not familiar with the sport, this comprises of a 3.86KMswim, 180.24KM bike ride, and a blistering 42.16KM final run.
A 31 year old native of Spring, TX, Khurram Khan’s success story is not just about mental and physical preparedness, diet, routine prep schedules; the roots stem back to his core defining principles growing up in hometown, Karachi, Pakistan. Khan, as noted by his peers, family, friends, and co-workers is known to be passionate about his origin, and strong cultural values. Competing in the IRONMAN North American Championship, some 2835 entered, and those lucky enough to finish were hailed as an IRONMAN, and have some connection or story to share.
“Being the first Pakistani American ever to complete this Triathlon, it took a moment for to sink in. Tracing back to the preparatory months leading to this glorious day, I had read about the difficulties and hardships, and how those that competed failed or pulled out. Even still, this does not truly prepare you for what to actually expect when you physically run the course. The past 10 months of vigorous training can only be summarized as excruciating. Along that pathway, there were multiples obstacles, and commitments I could not put off, but I somehow managed to still work through those. Self-discipline is often a cliché, but I think understanding what that truly means and entails is the key to any success story”.
“When I first thought about doing the race, swimming kept looming in the back of my head. It was a nightmare as I’ve never really swam much over the years. Running was another obstacle, as I’ve never ran more than 5K ever. My strength however was biking, as I knew this would be my anchor to gain time and would be my strongest leg in the sport. With only 3 hours of total sleep the night before, the countless struggles, pains, and emotional heartaches to endure, I can say I’ve officially earned the title of IRONMAN.”
Khan concluded with the following words to future aspirers: “Perseverance. Passion. Punctuality. Pride. PAKISTAN!”. To watch a video visit https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10102472408989736
The video captures this IRONMAN’S passion and race to self-satisfaction.