On October 26, 2024, Kaiden Lieto woke up to accomplish a goal he had trained for years: completing the Ironman Triathlon in his home of Kailua-Kona. Lieto got into the water and began the 2.4-mile swim. After that came the 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, along the roads of the Kona coast.
As he made his way back into town while on the run, Lieto had about one mile left, pushing through the pain as he came down Palani Road, zoned in on the finish line. The loud, screaming crowd helped him take the final steps.
Lieto crossed the finish line, with his family and friends cheering him on, and he immediately broke down into tears. For him, finishing the race meant more than getting a medal. It was a testament to overcoming several years of health challenges and perseverance to get to this moment.
“I won the battle even though I didn't win the race,” says Lieto. “It was just such a winning feeling… I kinda defied the odds.”
The journey toward becoming an Ironman triathlete began in 2022 when Lieto took a gap year after finishing high school. He accompanied a friend to St. George, Utah, to help film a triathlon. While on this trip, Lieto decided that during this gap year, he would train for the Ironman, specifically in Kona.
“Kona is like the World Series, the NBA finals. It's the race everyone wants to do. So, I wanted to do Kona as my first Ironman because I'm a local resident,” says Lieto.
Kaiden Lieto’s father, Chris Lieto, a former triathlete and his inspiration, became his coach to complete his first half Ironman in December 2022. The pair soon realized Kaiden Lieto had talent, and he received a sponsorship. Lieto then focused on becoming one of the best in the world.
However, that’s when tragedy struck. In January 2023, Lieto was hit by a car while training on his bike. The accident knocked him out for six minutes. He suffered a broken collarbone that required surgery and a concussion.
After recovering from the injuries, Lieto continued to train and competed in two races. It was then that he received an MRI of his brain to see if he had any damage from the crash or concussion. Instead, the doctors found a spot called an arteriovenous malformation, or AVM. This is where veins connect to arteries weirdly, which could lead to the artery sending too much blood to the vein, causing a stroke or aneurysm. It was hard to determine if Lieto was born with this or if it formed after the crash.
Lieto continued to train even with AVM, pushing through this mental challenge. He qualified for the Ironman in France in 2023 but did not compete as Kona was always the goal.
In March 2024, Lieto had brain surgery to remove the AVM. Three days later, he received an email informing him that he had won a lottery in Kona, and his name had been selected to race in the Ironman as a Hawai’i resident, without having to do the qualification races.
“I just got home from the brain surgery, had this huge scar on the side of my head… I'm not allowed to train or do anything, but I get an email saying that in seven months, I can race the goal race that I've always wanted to race,” says Lieto.
Lieto began training again, but now faced a new obstacle: a constant sickness, which began after he got hit by the car. Lieto says every six weeks, he would be sick with flu-like symptoms of body aches, mucus and a headache. The sickness would usually last about three to four days before he would recover.
While altitude training in Colorado, Lieto got sick again. However, this time it was different as he never got better. He went to the doctor and got blood work taken. The doctors thought he might have a genetic autoimmune disease that was triggered by the crash.
Yet, he kept training, pushing through the sickness to get one step closer to the Ironman in Kona, as he knew this was something he could not pass up.
“It was the most miserable two months ever, like how sick I was, and I just kept training because I just knew this was an opportunity I didn't know when I would get again,” says Lieto.
He continued to train every day, feeling sick, but with the mentality of “no is not an option.”
Around nine days before the race, Lieto suffered a major sickness flare-up to the point where he couldn’t get out of bed. However, he was not going to let this stop him, as the time had come for him to have the chance to accomplish this goal.
When the race day came, Lieto got up and went to the start line with the motto to just embrace the moment.
After the race, Lieto was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and doctors revealed his blood work showed his hormone levels were so low that it actually should’ve prevented him from competing. Lieto says it was a complete miracle that he did the race and all the training that led up to it.
“I'm a firm believer in God, and just seeing a miracle happen in front of my eyes and in my own body shouldn't have been possible. It was a special day. It was a special moment for sure,” says Lieto.
For now, Lieto is taking time away from the sport, calling it “the worst breakup” he’s ever had. He is currently attending bible school to build his relationship with the Lord, find who he is outside the sport and focus on getting healthy.
Yet, through all the struggle, sickness, and adversity, Lieto says he wouldn’t change a thing. The experience of getting to that finish line helped develop him into who he is today.
“You have to be uncomfortable to grow,” says Lieto. “When you go through tough things, you're gonna come out the other side with more strength and character.”
"You have to be uncomfortable to grow."