In September 2014, Khadiga Amin crossed the IronMan’s finish line, while her mind had already started planning for the next challenge. Amin and her trainer Nirvana Zaher sat down with us to tell us how she managed to do it—we were left feeling slightly ashamed of complaining about our 8km run.

What’s the Ironman? It’s a 4km swim, 180km cycle, and a 42km run, and Amin completed it in 14 hours. While we were sleeping, munching on unhealthy fixes, lazing around, she was in the water, on the bike, and on the road non-stop till she turned her dream into reality. 

Truly inspirational, committed and passionate about her set goals, this woman managed to get me all teary-eyed and overwhelmed with emotions as she talked to me about her experience preparing for, during, and after the race.

Khadiga Amin is the very first Egyptian woman to complete the IronMan challenge. With her training sponsored by Lax Gym & Beauty Center, The Fitness Playground, and personal trainer Nirvana Zaher, Amin’s persistence, strength, mobility and sense of commitment took her to the IronMan’s finish line.

Amin completed several other challenges and races including:

• Abu Dhabi International Triathlon – 1.5KM swim, 100KM bike, 10KM run – March 2014, and finished 7th out of 23 in her age group (25-29)
• Sharm International Triathlon – 750M swim, 20KM bike, 5KM run – Union African Championship, March 2014
• Beirut Marathon, November 2013, and finished 216 out of 600 participants
• Mineral Wells, Texas – 40KM cycling race – June 2013, and finished 6th out of 16
• Dubai 2XU championship – Olympic distance (1.5KM swim, 40KM bike, 10KM run) – February 2013
• Tristar Madrid – 300M swim, 30KM bike, 3KM run – October 2012, and finished 2nd on the female group
• Cycled to Gouna in two days – 200KM on the first day, rested on the second day, and did 250KM on the third day, in September 2012

Amin is also the founder of Kfit offering her own line of Dri-Fit shirts sold through the brand’s instagram handle (you can place your order by sending an email to kfitegypt@gmail.com)

Amin’s IronMan dream wouldn’t have come to life without her commitment to daily training and the more intensive weekend camps with her trainer Nirvana Zaher in Gouna.

More about Amin’s trainer, Nirvana Zaher

Nirvana Zaher is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist from the NSCA; she is currently managing Lax Gym and Beauty Centre in El Gouna, and is also the founder of The Fitness Playground®, a company dedicated to sports and fitness consultancy, coaching, and education. Zaher is also certified through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), is a veteran Spinning instructor through Mad Dogg organization, creator of The Bootie Camp Project, founder of Pole Fitness in Egypt, and an ambassador to the NSCA in Egypt and the Middle East. She holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology from Loughborough University in the UK, where she worked with athletes in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. During her time in Loughborough, Zaher worked on a dissertation that was later published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine.

 

If this doesn’t get you off the couch and onto a workout plan, we don’t know what would!