Ponjikars and
Goans have reason to feel excited. Come, Sunday October 20, 2019 and the IRONMAN 70.3 Goa, India’s
first IRONMAN Triathlon Race, will take place in Panjim.
Considered by many to be the toughest, one-day endurance sport
event in the world, the IRONMAN Triathlon is being brought to India and Goa by
Yoska, a Bengaluru-based fit-tech company.
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The event will see as many as 1,000 Triathletes from India and
27 countries worldwide descending on Goa for a very interesting and challenging
race.
The IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon, also referred to as the Half
Distance Triathlon comprises a 113 kms (70.3 miles) three-segment race in which
participants have to swim a distance of 1.9 km (always in open waters – sea or
lake) followed by a 90-km cycle ride and ending with a 21-km (half marathon)
run. The three legs have to be completed back-to-back in a maximum of 8 hours,
30 mins. There is also a cut-off time for each of these three stages. On
October 20, the participating triathletes will swim in the sea off Miramar
beach, they will cycle along the Campal and Goa University roads and run along
the Miramar-Goa University road.
The IRONMAN Triathlon movement is gaining ground in India with a
significant number of Indian Triathletes attempting and finishing the IRONMAN
challenge. Hitherto, Indian triathletes had to travel to far corners of the
world to participate in this iconic endurance sports event. Fortunately, thanks
to Yoska, the Bengaluru-based fit-tech company, the event is taking place in
India for the first time this year.
The good news is that
several triathletes based in Goa are taking part in this year’s event in Panjim
and are training very hard to do well. Some are training individually, while
others are training in a group. Most triathletes follow a strict diet plan and
an early to sleep-early to rise rule.
Wilbert Egipsy, a
technology and sales consultant in the hospitality industry is a regular
marathoner and has completed an IRONMAN 70.3 race in Colombo earlier this year.
Wilbert is looking forward to the action. He said, “I had so much fun the first
time in Colombo and this being a home event, I could not resist the opportunity
to take part.” Wilbert trains for roughly five-eight hours a week, though he
wished he could train more. “I struggle to get the time with my work schedule
and presently, I am recovering from a bad viral,” he said.
Alice Pereira, on the
other hand, will be taking a shot at the IRONMAN 70.3 for the first time. The
medical language specialist said, “This is my first IRONMAN event. I did an
Olympic distance triathlon in 2018 (1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run) and had
a lot of fun. Hence, when IRONMAN 70.3 Goa was announced, my training buddies
and I signed up instantly.” Alice trains for two hours every morning and for a
longer duration on weekends. “I swim every day, bike 4-5 days, and run 2-3 days
a week. The schedule changes every month. My training began at the start of
2019,” Alice said.
Ayesha Pinto is yet
another Goa based triathlete taking part in her first IRONMAN 70.3 race.
However, the cheerful chartered accountant is a seasoned ultra-marathoner
having successfully participated in a 75-km ultra-marathon race in Bengaluru
recently.
Ayesha has progressed
to become a triathlete in a very systematic manner. “I have been running since
2013, cycling from 2015 and learnt swimming in 2016.Till 2018, running was my
main interest, while I found cycling helped strengthen my quadriceps and swimming
was excellent for quick muscle recovery post my long runs,” Ayesha said.
Agnelo
Desa, a Panjim-based information technology entrepreneur has been a seasoned
marathon runner for several years. He had taken part in the IRONMAN 70.3 event
in Colombo earlier this year, but unfortunately could not complete the race. He
is looking forward to setting the record straight in Goa. According to Agnelo,
the sport of triathlon has taught him a lot. “Learning to swim has been the
best experience. Ironman Nisha Madgavkar taught me to swim about two years ago
and continues to be a great source of inspiration. Triathlon as a sport has
been a great learning process in terms of training, nutrition and knowing my
limits. Listening to my body and deciding when to push and hold back has been
the greatest take away from this sport,” Agnelo said.
