It seems there’s not a challenge Rob Costa can’t overcome.
Despite being paralyzed from the chest down, the Plymouth native has completed six Boston Marathons and now two Ironman World Championship Triathlons.
A perfect trip to Hawaii must include a dip in the ocean and time biking around the island to catch some of those amazing views up close and personal.
Rob Costa took both of those leisurely activities to the absolute extreme earlier this month when he competed in the world-famous Ironman World Championship Triathlon for a second time. He placed third in his division back in 2024 and this time he moved up a spot to take the silver medal.
Finishing the Kona, Hawaii. Ironman race not just once, but twice, is an amazing athletic accomplishment for Costa, who has been paralyzed from the chest down since 2019 when a motorbike accident crushed several discs in his back.
Costa’s times this year were 1:51:45 in the swim, 8:04:07 on the bicycle, and he had a hand bike time of 3:22:49. Adding in his transition times, his final time was 13:29:52.
Speaking only a few days after returning home from Hawaii, Costa was still feeling the effects of the monumental task he had just accomplished, but feeling a little better each day.
Costa completed the 2024 race with a torn rotator cuff and elbow issues. Larger health issues kept him out of the 2025 Ironman and limited his training leading up to this year’s race. Costa was cleared to start dryland training in January, which he usually does inside of Myles Standish State Forest.
After completing his sixth Boston Marathon in April, it was decision time. Kona or no Kona?
“I felt okay after the Marathon, so I decided that I had to go back to Hawaii and try it again,” explained Costa.
But he wasn’t going to do it alone. Friends and family, including his wife Michelle and their children Emma, Jack, and Charlie, have been right with him for every mile of this difficult journey.
Another hugely important person is someone Costa considers a member of the family. Kingston resident Jason Fowler and Costa first connected a few months after Costa’s injury. An athletic performance coach who works with teens all the way to professional athletes, Fowler is also paralyzed from the chest down from a motorcycle accident as a teenager. He has a special insight into the hurdles Costa overcomes each day.
“Absolutely irreplicable,” said Costa about Fowler’s friendship and counsel. “He’s like family to me. I wouldn’t be able to do all of this without him. He’s shown me that if he can do it, I can do it.”
Fowler’s impressed by the way that Costa has overcome so many obstacles since his injury.
“I know what he’s gone through. We kind of speak the same language,” said Fowler. “Rob has a determined, never-say-die attitude about everything. The circumstances of everything he encounters do not matter to him. He’s willing to do what it takes to get to the outcome he wants.”
That attitude was mandatory when Costa stared down the challenge of the Kona Ironman on Oct. 10. The race course was steaming hot as always and heavy rain made the opening swim challenging with three-foot swells to work around.
“The island always has a say” on what kind of day it’s going to be, said Costa. “Heat and the humidity, the big winds, and all the rain. We saw it all that day.”
Every year about 20% of the athletes drop out of the race before reaching the finish line. That’s not an option for Costa. He explained, “The Ironman is very hard on your body, but my attitude is as long as I am moving forward, why stop?”
That’s exactly the kind of lesson that Costa wants his children to learn from him. He’ll never whine about the hand he has been dealt. When challenged, he simply adapts and overcomes.
A carpenter by trade before his injury, the 46-year-old owns his own business, Seaside Construction. He also helps coach his fifth-grade twin sons’ football, basketball, and baseball teams.
“The best part of the Ironman race was meeting up with my wife and kids at the finish line,” said Costa. “The older my kids get, I think they understand more that you have to rise to meet the challenges you face in life.”
The next challenge for Costa will be competing in the Boston Half-Marathon on Nov. 8. He’ll be back for the full Boston Marathon in April 2027 and then the same question as this year will have to be answered.
Kona or no Kona?
“If you asked me yesterday if I’d do (the Ironman) again, I’d probably say no,” Costa said. “It’s a lot to get ready for and I wanted to go back because I didn’t like how I left things in 2024. I think I’ve found some peace now with everything. But you never know.”
David Wolcott can be reached at dwolcott@plymouthindependent.org.