FEATURES

1% Better & Ironman Florida - Part I

Saturday, 13 December 2025 00:10

By Noah Billings

My Name is Noah Billings. I am a triathlete. I also have adiagnosis of Autism and ADHD.

I started triathlon a little over 10 years ago. I started for tworeasons. The first reason was to improve my health. Growing up I was a very sick kid. I had chronic asthma, frequent respiratory infections, pneumonia, pleural effusions, andatelectasis. I began working with Dr. Miguel Park at Mayo Clinic & he recommended some cardio to try to help buildstrength for my lungs.

Also, I was a high energy guy. A decade ago, my Autism was diagnosed, but my ADHD was not, and my body always feltlike it needed to be busy. I did a lot of swinging on my swing set and climbing on the trees in our woods, but my mom wanted me to participate in a sport. We tried several options with varying success. We found triathlon kind of accidentally, but it was the sport that immediately clicked for me. The structure of triathlon was perfect for a person with my special needs. Triathlons are essentially a big to do list. I am checklist driven. All my IEPs through my education have highlighted how well I perform when I have clear written steps and a plan. In my mind, triathlons are a series of steps, a checklist to be completed, it just makes sense to me.

When I started training, there was a small youth tri team in town. One of my favorite
memories is doing indoor spin workouts with the team. My coach at the time, Kris Koepp, would guide us through a bike workout while we would watch Ironman races on a big screen. That was my first introduction to Ironman. I remember being blown away by the distance, how strong everybody looked, and incredible race settings. These videos were so captivating to me. I watched those videos, and I was motivated like never before. This was the point in my life where I decided I not only wanted to do an...

Ironman, but that I wanted to do hard things to prove I could- even with my medical history and diagnoses.Since then, I have raced triathlons, mountain biking, Nordic skiing, and running. As I became more proficient in sports, I got better at school, I made friends. I had growing successes personally, academically, socially, and professionally. I learned to identify and implement things to support me as an Autism/ADHD athlete. These things helped me create success that worked for me. I also learned to identify things that did not work for me well. Sports gave me better confidence to advocate for the things I need to be successful.

In February 2024, while visiting my grandma Florida, I heard about a running race advertised as one of the most beautiful coastal races in the US. I always enjoy a beautiful run, but on top of the potential for ocean scenery, Ironman legend himself Chris Nikic was doing a book signing at packet pickup. I had been a fan since before he completed his historic race and became the first man with Down Syndrome to complete a full Ironman in 2020. I registered for the 10K and ended up meeting Chris and his dad Nik. I shared how huge an inspiration Chris was to me as he is also someone who is driven to do hard things. I shared my own story with them. This began a wonderful friendship and since then I’ve been racing for the 1% Better Foundation and have been happy to be a part of Team 1% Better. Team 1% Better consists of all athletes with diagnosis of Autism and Down Syndrome...(End of Part I - Part II will post on 12/16)

ED. Noah, 20, is a two-time MInnesota Junior of the Year.