This fitness challenge will show you what it takes to be in the Indian Coast Guard

The Storm Rider Fitness Challenge for Armed Forces, corporates, colleges and individuals is back in its second edition as part of the Indian Coast Guard’s 43rd Raising Day celebrations

December 05, 2019 05:16 pm | Updated December 06, 2019 11:41 am IST

Do you think you could hold a 30 second-plank, do shuttle runs, push-ups, box jumps and burpees...all the while memorising an eight-digit number? Or maybe climb over a seven-and-a-half feet container with the help of a rope, and run as you cradle fire extinguishers?

The Storm Rider Fitness Challenge is back in its second edition to spread awareness on the challenges coast guard officers and mariners face. As part of the Indian Coast Guard’s 43rd Raising Day celebrations in February, the event is being organised by the Indian Coast Guard with F45 Training, Nungambakkam.

Designed to test your mettle — strength, speed and endurance —, the challenge invites the Armed Forces, college students, corporates, as well as individuals in teams of five to participate. The obstacle-course like event will have three zones: F-45 Coast Guard Fitness Challenge, Coast Guard Mariners Challenge and the Decathlon Games Challenge.

The first, designed by F45, will test you on tasks such as push-ups and burpees. Based on their timings, teams will clear knock-out rounds, post which they can nominate one member to represent them in the finals.

The Coast Guard Mariners Challenge on the other hand, is for people to learn what Coast Guard personnel perform at sea as part of their profession. Be it jumping over drums, climbing containers, pulling pneumatic fenders for 50 metres or even lifting kayaks over a distance of 20 metres. “This is all designed to raise awareness of the Coast Guard’s duties. We hope that this will encourage more of India’s youth to participate in the Forces,” says S Prem Kumar, Commandant of the Indian Coast Guard.

Kumar is responsible for organising and overseeing this event, first conceived in January, in line with the Fit India Movement.

“The registrations have been in much higher numbers since last year,” says Kumar. In its second year now, Kumar has taken into account the feedback from the first edition to bring in certain changes. For example, the Decathlon Games Challenge, which has people participate in cricket, basketball, football and volleyball, is no longer in a knock-out format. “Teams of five can play against each another,” he says, explaining the change. “Last time, teams from other cities like Coimbatore and Bengaluru had come in, but they got knocked-out by 11 am, and then they couldn’t take part in any sports. This way, if people want to dedicatedly play the whole day, they can.”

Something for everyone

The Storm Rider Fitness Challenge is not just about those at the peak of fitness. You can attend fitness workshops on zumba, silambam, kalari, nutrition and so on, without taking part in the gruelling challenges.

“We want to make the challenge more inclusive,” says Kumar. For the same reason, the event, which was first held in January this year, has been shifted to early December this time. “After December, students will have exams, and corporate teams too will just be wrapping up their holidays and slowly coming back to work. So we found that this would be the best time,” he says. “We hope to make this a yearly event . Maybe, even expand to other cities in India.”

The Storm Rider Fitness Challenge will be held all day at Vellore Institute of Technology, on December 8. For details, call 9446559680 or WhatsApp at 9445064064.

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