Fighting sensory overload like Superman during the Ironman Triathlon in Des Moines, a Santa Clarita native on the autism spectrum is expected to make history this Sunday – a milestone to be marked in history in The Guinness Book of World Records.

When Tom Illand first heard about a young man in Florida becoming the first person with down syndrome to finish an Ironman Triathlon, the annual marathon runner decided to test his limits, pushing past his own boundaries with autism and sensory overload. 

“I attempted an Ironman in October, but I didn’t finish,” Illand said. “They actually pulled me off the course after about 80 miles because I wasn’t going fast enough– the humidity was too much. For people with autism, they can experience sensory sensitivity, and for me there was too much heat, too much humidity, too much headwinds, it’s like being superman on kryptonite.”

Having successfully completed five marathons in the past five years as well as a half Ironman, Illand is committed to trying the course again, and becoming the first person on the autism spectrum to complete one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world. 

“No person with autism has ever done this before,” Illand said. “An Ironman Triathlon is one of the best tests of endurance in the world. It’s 140.6 miles consisting of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of bike riding and 26.2 miles of running, all back to back in under 17 hours.”

Intending to live life originally – outside the monotony of an office job, Illand is always looking to up the antics, graduating from half marathons to marathons, and now from half Ironmans to full Ironmans. 

Illand’s Motivation

“I really want to show people that it can be done,” Illand said. “The autism community really struggles on a personal level to get out into society. It’s easy to lose hope if we fail, or even work to live somebody else’s dream. I want to smash ceilings and show people it can be done.”

Life On The Spectrum 

Born in Illinois and moving to Ireland at 2-years-old, Illand has always displayed signs of autism, from lining up his toys in rows to refusing to talk for six-month periods. 

“My aunt was the autism specialist for the state of Illinois, and suggested to my mother that I might be on the spectrum,” Illand said. “Being my mother’s first born, my mother didn’t want to hear it, or didn’t believe it, even though I stopped talking for a period of six months, even though I wasn’t fitting in with my peers– but the signs of autism were still there.” 

Illand received an official autism diagnosis after moving to Santa Clarita at 9-years-old, and once it was brought to light, they were able to accept and embrace it as a family. 

“My mother’s mantra became ‘never take no for an answer,’” Illand said. “She wasn’t going to stop fighting for me until I got what I needed as far as services, but most importantly my parents assured me that they would love me no matter what.” 

These affirmations allowed Illand to not only accept his own diagnosis, but also go on to coach young men through autism’s impacts on parental and social relationships. 

“Too many parents put a lot of pressure on their kids, or have their own reservations, their own internal battles and they don’t want the possibility or the suggestion that their kid might “different,” Illand said. “When we can start to know about the diagnosis is when we can understand that it is not the end of the world. There are people on the autism spectrum that do extraordinary things, and when everyone is on the same page, then they can start to have the best loving relationships possible.”

A Career Change

Illand started personal coaching after a 7-year-running accounting career. Graduating from College of the Canyons and California State University NorthRidge with degrees in accounting, Illand was already defying expectations by landing a job at Disney. 

“I knew I was good with numbers and I loved Star Wars, so I wanted to be George Lucas’s accountant,” Illand laughed. “I went to work for Disney doing property taxes out of college and after I left the company, Disney actually acquired Lucas Films, so the way I see it, retroactively and indirectly, I kind of did accomplish my goal of being George Lucas’ accountant.”

Having accomplished his goals in the financial sector, Illand began expanding his horizons, wanting to achieve more in terms of community outreach and fulfillment. 

“I decided to pick up public speaking because we would rather die than talk in front of our peers,” Illand said. “If I could tell my story and share my experiences and help somebody else out on a more personal level, then that’s going to be something far more meaningful than number crunching.”

Lifelong Learning

Reflecting on his time in high school, Illand has grown immensely from his past struggles picking up on sarcasm, but remembers how difficult it was being a teenager with autism. 

“As a child, I definitely didn’t pick up on the fact that there were some cruel people in this world,” Illand said. “Particularly in high school when I got bullied by football players, I couldn’t talk to a girl to save my life, and I really wanted a girlfriend, and the football players sensed this and would set me up with a cheerleader who (didn’t actually like me) and get rejected time after time.”

Illand intends to utilize these very experiences to help teens grow into their own, while affirming that the symptoms of autism may be a setback, but they are still able to accomplish extraordinary things

“I started meeting virtually with clients, mainly young men on the autism spectrum, who want to have better relationships, find love and romance or also want to move out of mom and dads house one day,” Illand said.  “These are all things that people on the autism spectrum struggle with and so I’m sharing some of my struggles and some of my lessons to help them see that they have the power, and they can use it to make the world a better place.”

To access Illand’s services, click here.

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