Until two years ago, Raghul Sankaranarayanan, 26, didn’t know what triathlon was all about. Now he is an triathlon sensation. More precisely, he is an Ironman, a title bestowed on anyone who completes a 3.86-km swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 42.2-km run without a break. He earned the title at the 2014 Ironman Triathlon held at Langkawi, Malaysia. Raghul tells us the feat is the result of hours of daily practice and dedication. When Raghul first heard about the triathlon, he thought completing it would be next to impossible. “As a member of Chennai Trekking Club, I participated in most of their events. So when they organised their first Trilathon event, I tried. It now seemed possible. I ended up participating in all their events. I then heard about the Full Ironman races and I was keen on joining,” he says.
A fitness enthusiast, he pushed himself to achieve his goals . “I trained hard and motivated myself. “With every new day, I would run a little extra. I wasn’t very confident about swimming. It was my weak point. So I swam for hours at the Velachery Aquatic Complex and went on long rides on my cycle. I’d push myself to outdo my previous feat,” says Raghul, a Saidapet resident.
He chose the race held in Malasiya as it seemed more doable. Polaris Financial Technologies, the company where he works, helped him out. He says to be an Ironman requires a lot of focus, dedication and hard work and he hopes more athletes in India take up the challenge.
