प्रतिबिंब: November 2018

Deccan triathlon 2nd edition

Kolhapur Sports Club

I have no words to express the joy of completing half iron distance triathlon in Kolhapur for the second time. Yes...I did it again. Though it was not as smooth as last year due to adverse weather conditions it is still giving me the out of this world feeling and that thrilling experience which I always like to have. In my humble opinion, Kolhapur triathlon event is going to be more and more popular and it will be the premium triathlon event in India. It's already one of the rare open water triathlons held in India and it follows international standards. They are providing time chip technology with strap chip, specific transition to keep bicycles safe one day prior to event, bib number tattoo on arms, controlled traffic during event, proper hydration and nutrition stations on course for athletes, t-shirt, finisher medal, goodie bag, post-race refreshments, on course medical facility and at finish trophies for winners and the most valuable of all is overall winners from both categories will get free entry to Ironman 70.3 at Colombo. Isn't this amazing? of course, it is. Kudos to Kolhapur Sports Club for organizing this event so beautifully.

Preparations

Following a sport from the first world in a developing country like India is very difficult and costly too. Especially for a middle-class person like me. It's not a complaint though. I m living happily with whatever I have and I am utilizing the available resources in such a way that it will help me to build required stamina and endurance to finish Ironman 140.6. Ironman 140.6 is my final destination. My dream! “Dream is not the thing you see in sleep but is that thing that doesn’t let you sleep” this is the very famous quote of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. I don’t have that kind of intensity like Dr Kalam but there is something inside me for sure which is continually pushing me to achieve my dream.

There are enough available avenues in India for triathlon items though we are still a developing country. I managed to do quite a bit of progress in my triathlon journey compared to last year. This year I had a tri suit, a Garmin forerunner 935 to record triathlon activities, a bike rack to carry my bicycle with car and a Merida road bike to zoom on National Highway no.4. To improve my running I had spent a lot of time on sub-2 half marathon preparations and eventually had achieved the time of 01:52 for half marathon. I had spent lot of time on correcting my running form and posture. Good posture is an important element of running form that helps runners move more efficiently and avoid injury and have a positive mental outlook. This was much needed as my running form was not so good. To get running form corrected it is best to run with another runner who can correct you. And that I did with Anjali. But in the process, I lost focus on brick training sessions. A 90km bike+21km run was always on the cards but that never happened in reality which adversely affected in the end.

Another thing I missed in my training is running in the heat of the afternoon Sun. It was a must and I kept it as an option. In a week before the actual triathlon event, I did long rides with Anjali and that helped me to get back muscle memory to ride with 30 km/h avg speed. Those well-planned rides were really helpful. I don’t have the dedication and discipline like my mentor Anjali but I m getting close to it. Fingers crossed!

Expo and Bib counter

Sharp 10:00 am time was given to other members to start the travel to Kolhapur but somehow we were late by a good 50 minutes. Three bikes were loaded on a newly purchased bike rack and we easily covered the long distance of 225 km on NH4. On NH4 there is a big Landmark after crossing Kolhapur to take the right turn towards Rajaram Lake and it is McDonald's. As soon as I saw McDonald I said we have to turn right now. We didn't use Google map like last year. As soon as we reached Rajaram lake area we saw huge preparations for the biggest triathlon carnival in India. To my surprise this time there was purple carpet laid down all over the ground covering every inch of the event area, including expo, bib counter, T1 and T2 area as well. Last time it was red and I realized that they have not compromised on cost for this event. I was very happy to be part of this event. I am lucky to start my triathlon journey from Kolhapur.

We entered from the huge arch of start and finish with bold letters written on it. I was thinking that half triathlon will end here tomorrow. I will cross the finish line here and I was ecstatic with that thought. First I need to collect my bib. They gave me the token to receive my bib number only after showing identity proof in the form of the driving license at the entrance counter. Ironman Swapnil Mane explained very carefully about how to use different bib numbers during the event. I was surprised with the excellent goodie bag designed with a lot of smart thinking. Some people are really awesome in this world and that bag designer is one of them. Contents of goodie bag - a fast&up Gel, a t-shirt, a swim cap (compulsory to be used during the swim), bib number, bib tattoo for arm, bib sticker for helmet and so many brochures of sponsorship which were useless for me but very useful for the event organization.

Meet and greet

I saw a lot of elite triathletes and they were gearing up for tomorrow's event. And I saw 'The God of triathlon' Dr Kaustubh Radkar as well. Yes, he is. I have no doubts about this. At first, I was quiet shy to talk to him but he is such a humble person, he spoke gently with a mediocre and a beginner triathlete like me. I have huge respect for him and that has increased more.

I met a lot of triathletes from our WhatsApp group named "Recreational triathletes". It's very hard to identify everyone by their names but it’s always good to have company of like-minded people. Everyone was wishing good luck to each other. All admins were going to participate in this event except Charzal.

Bike parking area

There was nothing to worry to handover your costly bike to volunteers prior to race day as security arrangements were at their best for bikes. It was a fully covered warehouse with a big iron shutter. CCTV camera was fitted at the entrance of the bike storage area and shutters were locked after 7:00 pm. There was strictly no entry for non-participants. There were two security guards as well for surveillance during night time. That made me pretty sure about my bike's safety. Hats off to Kolhapur sports club for developing such a triathlon culture in India.

A Night before

Well, I had chosen to stay in a tent near the race venue instead of luxurious hotel rooms. I love to be simple and time punctual. I think staying in the tent there is safe also as Kolhapur is very famous for its hospitality. It should have been bitter cold during the night stay as we had camped near the water reservoir but to our surprise, we had to keep our tent's door open during the night to avoid the heat in the atmosphere. Sweat was flowing from the body. It was a great surprise for us. That gave me a little bit of idea about what would happen the next day during the running part of the event.

Swim part

First thing I did in the morning after reaching the race venue was that I went straight to my bike. Ha-ha... And was very glad to see her in one piece and intact as yesterday. Tire pressure was intact also. She was ready and looking very eager to race. Let me finish my swim first, I told her then we will rock on the highway. She smiled gently in reply.

This year I was confident about my swim. Nothing related to swimming pace but there was no fear of open water like last year. I stood very far behind the start line. I entered into the water after making sure that elite swimmers went ahead. I didn't want any thrust from their kicking legs, elbows and arms so I let them go ahead. I swam very well, at the same pace from the beginning to the end and in good rhythm which satisfied me. There were no signs of fatigue. I came out of the water unscratched and in one piece which was my ultimate target. Swimming took 49 minutes and 43 seconds.

It looked clear that the organizers had made a lot of efforts to clean the Rajaram Lake. The Lake was very clean. And there was a fence to keep animals away from the swim area. Lifeguards were very co-operative during the swim and they boosted the confidence of first-timers. There were very good arrangements for swimming. I'm sure that swim will never be cancelled in Kolhapur. I am proud of Kolhapur Sports Club.

I ran fast to my transition bag. T1 took 8 min

Bike part

It was 07:30 in the morning and the Sun was yet to spread his existence. It was good to descend till highway. Traffic police were doing their job sincerely. They were giving priority to cyclists on road. After taking the right turn, there was a small climb while getting on to the national highway. Due to that climb, there was no sign of speed in the first 5 km. After that initial climb speed was fully buzzing. The route was very scenic but didn't have time to indulge in scenes.

There was not a single scratch on the road in the entire distance. Smooth roads helped to accelerate. All route was for rolling only. There were hydration points as mentioned in the race briefing and as shown on their website. I was clicked by event photographers so many times! TT bikes were showing their class on NH4. I was riding with an average speed of exact 30 km/h. Much of the bicycling distance was on the roads of Karnataka State and surprisingly smoothened the rolling too. The road was really nice. Traffic police were standing in the chowk for cyclists not to be disturbed by traffic. There were volunteers at every turn and several boards with arrow signs were kept at critical locations. A lot of care was taken to ensure that no participant would take a wrong route.

I covered 92 km distance in 3 hrs and 3 minutes with avg speed of exact 30 km/h. As per my plan I finished swim and bike within 4 hours of time. Now it was time to cover 21 km running.

T2

I took 7 minutes 3 seconds to get ready and start my running around 10:30 am.

Running 21km in hot Sun

The Sun was at his best and spreading heat furiously. I tried to push myself on that initial climb. I was feeling a cramp in my left quadriceps immediately after that initial climb and I started limping. That cramp took a huge toll and halted my proceeding to the running area. By God's grace Amol Joshi was passing by and he saw me limping. He rushed towards me without wasting any time and asked me to lie down on the ground and he gave good stretches to both my legs. The word Thank you is not enough for Amol Joshi's timely efforts. After having a cramp in the left leg I gave up my original plan and started running with plan B. Plan B was just to complete the distance and finish the half iron distance triathlon which I did in 6 hrs and 54 minutes.

All triathletes (except some exceptional ones) were badly affected by Sun’s heat in the afternoon but at the same time consoled by beautiful cooling arrangements by organizers. Every triathlete was suffering and going through tough situations. It was impossible to run at regular marathon pace for everyone. Did anyone escape? I saw great runners not running at their regular pace. Everyone was on survival mode in that tough running phase. Though having tough situations everyone was encouraging each other. Only the photographers were bringing smiles on the tired faces.

Cruel weather

Generally, Kolhapur is a cool place in the month of November and it has very similar weather conditions to Pune. But the weather was in a different mood on that day. My run leg started around 10:30 am and ended around 01:20 pm in the hottest part of the afternoon. In this period of time, the temp range was very high between 33°C (minimum) to 39°C (maximum). There was no wind as well. Weather conditions decided to test my faith in triathlon but as we know we also get glory in our sufferings because sufferings produce perseverance. At the end of the day, it's about how much you can bear, how much you can endure that matters. No pain that we suffer is wasted. I enjoyed it.

Hydration, Nutrition and Road bike

I am very thankful to my friend Anjali. She advised regarding my nutrition and hydration for this half distance triathlon event with proper instructions. When to take and how much to take and drink. Thank you so much Anjali Bhalinge. The words are insufficient for you. I am so lucky to get tips from her. She arranged a Merida scultura 300 (road bike) for me. It is good to have a road bike to participate in the Ironman event. As I don’t have a road bike she arranged one for me until I buy one. Such friends have enriched my life.

Skillful Organization

Deccan triathlon is one of the rare open water triathlons held in India. Having so many Ironman finishers as volunteer was the key factor behind their skillful event organization. I was surprised to see an Ironman finisher volunteering for us. Isn't that amazing?

Want to participate?

Please feel free to contact if you want to participate in this triathlon event. I will help you finding the location and how to travel to Kolhapur (only if you are from out of Maharashtra).