If you call Jamshid Khajavi's house, the voice mail says he might be out running or swimming. Or kayaking or hiking. It's probably true, of course, but saying so would be a vast understatement.
Khajavi is more than passionate about such pursuits, enough so that for more than 20 years he's devoted virtually all his spare time to taking part in long distance swims, Ultra-marathons, lengthy kayak runs and sometimes a combination of all three. It's about challenge, dedication, overcoming obstacles, learning one's limits and, he agrees, a little bit of obsession.
"Not everybody understands," he said with a bit of a laugh. "If some people knew, I'm sure they'd think I'm crazy."
Khajavi was born in Iran 50 years ago. He came to Seattle in 1977, two years before the Iranian revolution, to study at Seattle University. A year later, Khajavi moved to San Diego where he would earn his MBA and work briefly in the business world. He found it didn't suit him.
"I learned that I wanted to work with people, especially children," he said. Khajavi went back to school to study counseling and earn his teacher's certificate. For the next 17 years, he worked with deaf children in San Diego.
While in Southern California he met Jack Robertson, a paraplegic athlete who competed in Ultra events. A lifelong friendship was formed; soon Khajavi was taking part in such events himself.
"We swam in the ocean nearly every day. And each year we set up a major long distance swim," Khajavi said. Some of those events included swims around Catalina Island, which he has done several times. One such event found him separated from the observation boat; he spent 28 hours in the water. Khajavi also has swum around Manhattan Island, a 28-mile task he has done four times. In another, he biked 4,200 miles across the country in 31 days. "That one was one of the hardest," he said.
But returning to the Pacific Northwest was always in the back of his mind.
"I'd always loved it here - the mountains, the sea, the beautiful nature. San Diego was wonderful, but it was always the same. I needed to get back to where there were seasons," he said.
He moved back to Seattle nine years ago and he took a job as a counselor at a Seattle elementary school. He moved to Kirkland just over a year ago when he found a house in Juanita nestled among the trees. Khajavi often bikes to work - 42 miles round trip - and then takes a swim in Lake Washington when he gets home or spends time in the gym.
When not at work, Khajavi is almost certainly preparing for another event. He figures he takes part in eight or nine major events a year, mostly throughout the summer, and a large number of smaller events. In September, for instance, he won the Kirkland triathlon in his age group. And he took part in a Port Townsend event that included 15 miles of mountain biking, 43 miles on a road bike, five miles in the kayak and a 10 kilometer run. Though he took part for training purposes, he won the event. Just for good measure, he went for a lengthy salt-water swim after the race was over.
"It was great. I got to use all my toys at one time," he said enthusiastically.
In August, Khajavi - with his friend Jack Robertson - swam the Strait of Gibraltar. They had to wait nearly two weeks in Spain for the right conditions and began their swim the day before they were scheduled to leave. The 25-mile crossing was demanding and difficult but fairly quick by his standards - he arrived in Morocco less than seven hours after he began. In so doing, Khajavi became the 93rd person to cross the strait.
"I was also the first Iranian-American to try it," he said. He plans on making the swim again in 2005.
For next year he plans to take part in the Western State Endurance Run, during which 100 miles must be completed in less than 30 hours. It will be the seventh time he's taken part. And in February Khajavi plans again to go to Alaska for another 100-mile run along part of the Iditerod's route. In this event, Khajavi must pull a sled filled with food, water and survival equipment. Closer to home, he will take part in a 50K trail run this November in Granite Falls and a 50K nighttime run at the Bridle Trails State Park in January.
Also possible in the next year or two is an attempt at swimming the English Channel. Fifteen years ago he was just about to make the attempt when a swimmer he knew well died of hypothermia during her swim. He hasn't been back since but said he will swim the channel at some point in his life.
"Only 400 people or so have swum the English Channel," he said. "By comparison, more than 600 have climbed Mt. Everest."
Khajavi's only limits, he says, are time and money. Athletes like Khajavi rarely obtain any sponsorship, and some of the events are very expensive - beyond the travel costs he must hire observation boats for the major swims. Khajavi said it's not about competition. Despite an office filled with medals, ribbons and newspaper clippings, Khajavi said he's only competing against himself. Running is perhaps his favorite pursuit - it requires little equipment, for one thing, plus you can train just about any time - but the variety of events he competes in is also very rewarding.
"I do this because I set goals and then I set out to achieve them," he said. "For me it's about overcoming personal challenges and testing myself. The mental part is the most difficult. It's like a life in one day in some of these events; you go through so many emotions, the highs and the lows. It's a personal test to learn how you respond to them."
One future goal is to swim the Strait de Juan de Fuca. Khajavi said it's been done only twice without a wet suit. Given the cold water and the drastic tidal currents, completing the swim would be one of Khajavi's most challenging swims.
"I hope to try it in the next five years," he said. "It would be great to do that swim when I'm 55."
