B.C. man strives to inspire after changing life through fitness

Adam meets a man doing an intense workout who was inspired to give a speech about meaningful shoes.

NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. — “They played a pivotal role in my life,” Shivain Maini says, holding up a pair of athletic shoes while addressing the audience at a public-speaking competition. “They are very important to me.”

Before he grew up to speak about his meaningful footwear, Shivain says he was a boy suffering from a painful and debilitating condition the left him confined to his bed for almost a year.

“After that, everything went downhill for me,” Shivain says.

When he returned to school, his grades descended, his weight increased, and the 14-year-old began being bullied.

“Every day was darkness,” Shivain says. “Every day was sadness.”

Until one day, when he was 16, Shivain says he hit his rock bottom.

“I was like this is not where I want to be in life,” Shivain says. “This is not where my story ends.”

That’s when Shivain fell to his knees and felt compelled to do pushups.

“It went horrible,” Shivain recalls with a laugh. “I wasn’t even able to do more than two pushups.”

But instead of being deterred, Shivain set the unlikely goal of one day running a 50-kilometre ultramarathon.

“I made a vow that day that no matter how hard an obstacle, I will vow to keep pushing forward,” Shivain said in that public speech about his shoes.

And he did.

After months of training up to five hours a day, Shivain finished a series of shorter races before eventually completing not one, but two ultramarathons.

“I felt very happy. It was joy,” Shivain smiles. “But it doesn’t end right there.”

Shivain was inspired to accomplish even more physical challenges, including holding a plank for one minute while balancing 76 kilograms on his back.

“Every record I broke, I was wearing these shoes right here,” he said.

And everything that happened to him before he began wearing them, Shivain says he actually grateful for.

“I’m thankful for the negative things,” Shivain says. “That transformed me into being a positive person.”

And while the speech about his shoes won Shivain first place in a local Toastmasters competition, the 21-year-old says he’s ultimately honing his communication skills in the hopes of inspiring others to overcome their own adversity.

“Once you take those first steps, it’s going to be a whole rollercoaster of your journey,” Shivain smiles. “And then you’re not even going to believe all the things you’ll accomplish.”