Navin Singh was profiled back in May 2013 when he was attempting to win a contest spot in 2013 Ironman World Championships at Kona. Navin didn’t win that contest, but he shifted his focus to Ironman Cozumel and became an Ironman anyway.
Navin’s story is amazing. After a post-high school family trip to India, he was stricken with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). GBS is an autoimmune condition that causes paralysis and can become life threatening if it interferes with breathing and the heart rate. Navin was in the ICU for over six weeks as the GBS ran its course. After over two months in the hospital he eventually recovered enough to move to a rehab center where he did physical therapy full-time for six weeks.
It took Navin two years to progress from a wheelchair to walking with crutches and finally to walking with braces on his lower legs, which he still wears. Navin was so serious about his recovery that he never thought the effects of the GBS would be permanent, and even though he was bedridden he didn’t want any pictures taken because he was mentally moving on.
Now 47, Navin still has a youthful athletic determination and directs his positive energy to be an inspiration for others: “I have learned many lessons on my journey after surviving Guillain-Barre Syndrome. The one that stands out is that we have a choice and that anything is possible if we choose to strive for it.”
The first time I met Navin I immediately noticed an awkward gait and wondered how far his determination (and a healthy dose of denial) would take him in competition. To the finish line in Cozumel, evidently:
During a second coffee meeting Navin talked me through Ironman Cozumel where he was the last finisher, crossing the finish line with less than two minutes to spare before the time cutoff.
Navin’s support crew included Vo2Multisport teammates Tom Camp and Ann Sloan, and his mom and sister who were stationed near the finish line and called out the official time during the run.
Swim:
Due to extraordinary winds the swim course was shortened from the standard 2.4 miles to 2.0 miles. Navin was supposed to start with a physically challenged (PC) group, but this detail was missed by the race organizers. Instead he started with the elite competitors and his goggles got knocked off in the scrum. The salt water stung his eyes and they swelled up so much that he couldn’t see very well. In order to stay on course he swam with a group that he thought knew where it was going, but was actually off course. He eventually realized that there was a problem, split from the group and got back on course. Navin finished the swim in 1:10, 13 minutes slower than planned.
Transition 1:
Exiting the water, Navin was met by a teammate who handed him the crutches that he uses to get to the transition area. His eyes were still swollen from the salt water and he methodically got ready for the bicycle segment. He decided to wear a bike jersey on top of the tri jersey due to the changing weather conditions. Navin completed the first transition in 14 minutes.
Bike:
The ~112 mile bike leg consisted of a 3-lap course with a ~12 mile headwind on the back stretch, and nice pavement on the home stretch back to start/finish area. Navin felt good on the bike after what he considered a “bad” swim leg. During the bike portion he was able to relax and pay attention to what was happening moment to moment, stay hydrated and fueled, and adjust his position on the bike. Heavy rain showers periodically pelted the racers during the bike leg, and Navin got hit hard on the first and third laps. During the final lap, to prepare for the run, Navin stretched on the bike to reduce the impending awkward transition to the run. On the final approach to T2 it rained hard, but he maintained his pace and passed 5-6 people. Meanwhile, quite a number of competitors dropped out of the race due to the inclement conditions.
Rain? No problem for a competitor from the Pacific Northwest!
Transition 2:
Navin spent about 10-11 minutes at the second transition where he changed into running gear and the carbon fiber leg braces.
Run:
The marathon course was an 8.7 mile loop. Navin’s plan for the marathon was to run for 8 minutes and walk for 2 minutes, but he was having difficulty and the plan quickly changed to “best effort.” The revised plan worked out to about 5 minutes of running and 2 minutes of walking at a 17 min/mile pace. The downpours continued; the sewer drains backed up and there was standing water all along the course. Although he spent time drying his feet during the transition, they were soaked again within the first 200m of the run.
As bad as Navin felt during the run, everyone appeared to be demoralized by the conditions. He passed (going in opposite directions on the loop) the unlikely sight of a woman with a physically ripped body, whimpering in misery.
For a while Navin paced himself off of an older competitor who eventually simply sat down.
Navin briefly ran with another competitor from the Seattle area who was inspired by an Evening Magazine segment about Navin. As he strode past Navin he lamented: “It just doesn’t feel right running away from you.”
The third and final lap was mentally the toughest, in part because Navin’s body wanted the suffering to be over just as he was running outbound away from the start/finish area. To make things works, it turned out that he and crew member Tom Camp had miscalculated the target pace for the final lap, and he needed to make up time. Now deep into the marathon distance, Navin’s Legs started to fatigue because of his lack of lower leg muscles. Meanwhile, the enthusiastic Cozumel locals and his teammates urged him on: “Only eight minutes to go!”
As Navin entered the finish chute men’s winner Michael Weiss ran alongside Navin , and Michael Lovato excitedly urged Navin on as he hobbled to the finish arch, where he looked to the sky smiling and dedicated the event to his dad. Navin said, “It was a magical, surreal moment.” He was the last competitor to cross line, but he did it.
Post-race:
Navin says he felt relatively good after the race. He attributes his success in the event to his training and the fact that he followed his coach’s plan and that he didn’t stop during the bike leg. Moreover, none of the variables that could have sent the race sideways happened–he didn’t use a special needs bag during the ride, didn’t need the medical tent, and he didn’t need a massage or a dehydration IV at the finish. Navin felt proud that he was able to stick to his race plan, and he controlled the things he could control.
What’s next?
Navin is registered for the Kona lottery, which has 5 slots for physically challenged entrants. He also is planning to run in a Boston qualifying marathon this year in the hope that he can run in Boston in 2015. And he’ll continue to represent Lifewise as an Ambassador. Navin noticed that as he was finishing up the run numerous spectators cheered “You got this!”, which is the LifeWise ad slogan. Navin’s efforts are obviously a match with his employer’s objectives.
Look for more about Navin in an upcoming Evening Magazine follow-up story that will recount more details of Navin’s Ironman and give an exclusive look at the homecoming party his coworkers at LifeWise and fellow LifeWise Ambassadors threw to congratulate him on finishing the Cozumel Ironman.
“I was so moved by the surprise homecoming reception I received from my fellow LifeWise Ambassadors and colleagues. That moment was right up there with crossing the finish line in Cozumel and I will never forget it,” said Navin.
With recent stories about perfectly able bodies (David LeDuc, Richard Meeker…) doping in Masters cycling races, isn’t it refreshing to read about Navin who has confronted a bonafide disability head on?
