Ironman Chris Nikic Receives Jimmy V Award at 2021 ESPYs: "I Get 1 Percent Better Every Day" Special Olympics athlete Chris Nikic, of Florida, set a record last November as the first person with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman race, which includes swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and running a full 26.2-mile marathon. To complete an Ironman, you must finish in 17 hours, and Nikic completed the race in 16 hours, 46 minutes, and nine seconds. On July 10, Nikic was honored with the Jimmy V award for perseverance at the 2021 ESPYs. The Jimmy V award was instituted in 2007 and named after famed North Carolina State University basketball coach Jim Valvano. At the 1993 ESPYs, Valvano won the Arthur Ashe courage award and gave a now-iconic acceptance speech with only months left to live after being diagnosed with glandular cancer. In his speech, Valvano encouraged people: "don't give up, don't ever give up."