Madhav Manoj and his wife, Manju, fell asleep after tucking into their in-flight meal on their journey from Malaysia. Soon he was awakened by a gentle tap on the shoulder. “Dr Madhav Manoj? Did you participate in the Ironman Triathlon? Congratulations! This is for you.” The smiling air stewardess held out cake and drinks as other passengers in the flight looked on.
The only participant from Kerala this year, the 44-year-old dentist had completed the challenge at close to 16 hours (swimming 3.86 km, cycling 180.25 km and running 42.20 km), in Langkawi – one of the toughest circuits of the challenge held on November 17. This was only the start to a series of surprises arranged by his circle of fellow bikers from Trivandrum Bikers Club (TBC) as they and members of Trivandrum Runners Club (TRaCs) awaited the couple at the arrival gate of Thiruvananthapuram international airport in the city.
Back home, the dentist is relieved that it is over and elated at the warm reception he is being accorded by friends and colleagues. “One of the reasons I took up the challenge is that I wanted people to know that it is possible. ‘I don’t have time’ is an excuse I hear often when it comes to exercise,” he says, adding, “My day begins at 4 am every day. If I can do it, anyone can.”
A week’s break is all Manoj took before returning to what he now recognises as his true love – running. “Strangely, that’s what I miss,” says the former national swimming champion who, after winning competitions in high school, would invariably end up receiving the medal from his father, Nanthencode Karunakaran, who was the city Mayor then.
Madhav Manoj at the Ironman Triathlon
When Manoj had started to run regularly last year with other members of the running club, he also started teaching them to swim at Jimmy George Stadium, sometimes after a 10-km cycle ride. “I may have been a sports enthusiast in school thanks to my mother who would take me everywhere. But apart from teaching my children to swim, it was at the age of 44 that I started competitive swimming again,” he says with a laugh. When his friends saw that he had the stamina, they suggested that he consider participating in the Ironman Triathlon. Rather the Half Ironman, to begin with.
Manoj completed the Half Ironman in the searing heat of Chennai last year but his mentor Raj Nayar warned him that training for the full challenge would take a toll on family time. “So I consulted Manju first. She had waited in the sun for me during the Half Ironman amidst a lukewarm crowd, so she wasn’t pleased then,” he says. But his wife and the couple’s children, Gayathri and Gautham, were more than happy to support him this time.
Manoj already had a fairly busy routine. Following the gruelling schedule prepared by Raj, who is based in the US, meant clocking six to seven hours of cycling, swimming and running, apart from his regular day – as a teacher at PMS Dental College from 7.30 am to 2.30 pm and at his clinic from 4 to 7 pm. Manoj would cycle at the crack of dawn to avoid traffic, running soon after and finishing the day with more laps around Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium and at the pool. “The college supported me immensely. In the last month, the management let me report an hour late. It gave me enough time to train well,” he says. A hero’s welcome awaited Manoj at the college too.
Madhav Manoj at the Ironman Triathlon
The race went off to a great start but soon Manoj began to sense trouble. “There’s no incline I haven’t cycled in Thiruvananthapuram including the hairpin bends leading to Ponmudi, that too without a break. I have never chosen to walk uphill while pushing my bike. So it was my ego talking when I decided to cycle up the three inclines at the race. I would cycle down at 65km/hour and then see the entire course spread out in front of me amidst forest, beaches and paddy fields. At some point, I began to fall asleep on my bicycle. It occurred to me that the oxygen wasn’t reaching my brain.” Parking his cycle, he took what was supposed to be a five minute nap with his feet up to help blood circulation. “That actually became 30 minutes. With the GPS tracker on your ankle, everything is under observation including transition and rest time. I then put my ego aside and choose the race over the course,” he says with a laugh.
On completing the challenge, Manoj was exhilarated at the support offered by the crowd that turned out in droves. “Once you are past the finish line, it is all that matters. No one bothers you with questions like, ‘What prize did you win?’, ‘How much time did you take?’ etc. They congratulate the fact that you made it."
A knot on the shoulder, a tingling finger and blisters on his toes don’t deter him for a second when asked if he would do it all over again. “Yes... It was worth it!”
Preparations
“Listen to your body at all times,” Manoj advises. Nutrition, referred to as the fourth discipline of a triathlon, didn’t involve major changes. He helped himself to a shake of milk and dry fruits to aid in the repair of micro-injuries every day apart from including a salad of grilled meat and fresh vegetables to his usual meals. Fried foods were avoided all through training.
In an email from the US, Raj says he monitored Manoj’s training using online tools. “Our main goal was to get Manoj best prepared to finish the race without the training becoming a chore. India is not an easy place to train for a race like this. We kept adjusting the schedule to fit his requirements. The training was a learning experience for me as well as he went through some challenging situations."
