When Sidharth Madhav says he was aqua-phobic, it makes one wonder how he could possibly have won the Ironman Triathlon, considered to be one of the most difficult sporting events in the world, which involves an over 3-km swim in difficult waters. “There was a time when I couldn’t bring myself to learn swimming. But one day, I decided to get over it and signed up for scuba diving classes.” Today, Sidharth coaches other people. He won the title at the triathlon held in Cambridge, Maryland, USA in September.
Organised by the World Triathlon Corporation, the event consists of a 2-4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and a marathon of 26.22 mile (42.20 km) in that order, back-to-back. Sidharth finished it in just 13 hours and 11 minutes. Known to be a continuous test of physical and mental endurance, Sidharth says it was indeed challenging.
Born and brought up in Kochi, Sidharth is the grandson of the well-known Malayalam writer Mali and the first mayor of Kochi, AK Sheshadri. He has been living in the US for the past 10 years and works in New York.
He talks to MetroPlus on his journey through sport. Edited excerpts from an email interview.
How would you describe your triathlon experience?
As part of my training for a full Ironman event, I raced shorter distance events. I did not know how to swim until I learnt it two years ago. It has been one of the biggest challenges of my life and one of the most satisfying, to overcome the fear and swim the full 3.8 km in tough waters filled with stinging jellyfish. Mind over matter and the confidence gained from my training really helped.
When did you decide to take part in a triathlon?
When I signed up for scuba diving classes, I travelled to Costa Rica and got certified in open water scuba diving. I was still very scared of the ocean, as I had never been in it. But I still couldn’t swim. That’s when I decided to do triathlons. I came across an Ironman race on TV years ago and dreamt of doing it one day. After becoming a certified scuba diver, I decided to conquer my fear. Initially I couldn’t do even do one lap without panicking. I went to a coach for a few days but still something wasn’t right. I did a small triathlon in Miami and I was the last one to finish. After which my competitive nature took over and I started spending most of my time in swimming and eventually I got real comfortable in it.
Has the win changed you as a person?
It definitely has. I see challenges and obstacles differently. Anything is possible with discipline, hard work and complete belief and passion in your goals. I also have a lot of gratitude towards my family and friends, especially my wife. Triathlon is an individual sport, but you need a really strong support system to get through such demanding training.
How difficult were the preparations for the event?
Overall, it took me two years to build base fitness. That means, learning to swim and even run 5 km properly. But the focussed Ironman training took me about eight to nine months . That’s around 800 km of running, 4.200 km of cycling and 118 km of swimming... it is around 12-15 hours per week, for almost six days a week.
What are your sporting goals?
I’ve been involved in sports throughout my life. I was a national level roller skater, tennis, state-level cricket player and also represented my university in the US in cricket. In triathlon, it would be a dream to represent India at the Ironman world championships. It is tough to qualify, but it is possible.
