When Pune-based Kaustubh Radkar set the ball rolling in 2008 by finishing his first Ironman Triathlon in Arizona in 2008, little did he know his feat would inspire many others from his city to take a shot at the world's toughest endurance test.Till then, hardly anybody in India knew about triathlons which involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession, let alone Ironman — considered one of the toughest one-day sporting events in the world.Slowly, as word got around about Ironman, which consists of a 3.8-km swim, 180-km cycling and a 42.2-km run, in that order and without a break, people from the city started taking interest in triathlon events. And what started as a trickle, has now become a flood.This month, around 15 people from the city — the largest contingent so far — are participating in the Ironman competition in Hamburg . Besides, there are quite a few from Pune who will participate in Ironman competitions in various parts of the globe this year.Radkar, who has been training 15 to 20 people for various triathlon competitions, says, “Seven of my trainees will participate in Ironman competition on July 29 in Hamburg. I am going there more as a coach but I will be participating in the race too.” It will be Radkar’s 21st Ironman in a row since 2008.Many from the city have completed Ironman competitions a couple of times too.For city-based businessman Nikhil Kapur, Hamburg will be his fifth Ironman event. “I signed up for my first — the half ironman in Auckland — in January 2014. Then I participated in full Ironman in Zurich in July the same year. I also completed Ironman competition in Kalmar, Sweden, in August 2016, and another in Copenhagen last year. Now, I am gearing up for Hamburg,” he says.“When I started out, there were hardly five to six people who had done Ironman. Now, there are quite a few. When you are the only one preparing for crazy distances, you need to motivate yourself. But when you have a community of people attempting the same event, the mutual goals take you through,” he adds.Venkates likar, another nessman fr the city, too i prepping up for the Hamburg event. “After completing the half Ironman in Dubai in February th year, I decide participate full Ironman in Hamburg.Interestingly, only one Indian had signed up for the event in Hamburg last year. But a total of 33 participants are going from India this year. Of them, 15 are from Pune alone. This shows the level of interest among participants,” he says.So, what accounts for the popularity of the triathlon among the people in the city? “I think the reason why it has caught on is because people are simply bored of running. Running in Pune has always been huge, thanks to the presence of a large number of corporates, which sponsor marathons and other events. But then people wanted to try out something different. So, the next best option for them was triathlon,” says Radkar.Kashelikar, who had done around 20 half marathons, a couple of full marathons, and an international full marn Amster-, found his nning roune getting monotonous. So, he opted for the Olympic distance triathlon in Goa in Februy last year.as the first at I swam in the sea. Then, I participated in the cycling event. I thought it was much better than simply running.” That prompted him to take a shot at half Ironman in Dubai in February this year.Triathlon coaches in the city say that Pune has the perfect terrain and weather for training for Ironman. “Large open water bodies in Panshet and Pavana, and hills in Lavasa and Sinhagad are ideal for swimming, cycling and running. These facilities, combined with a lot of serious athletes taking up proper training, have made a lot of difference to them winning and participating in so many of these events,” says Chaitanya Velhal, a Pune-based triathlon coach, who has completed three Ironman competitions in Zurich, Switzerland and South Africa.Radkar says what tilts the scales in favour of triathletes here is good access to swimming pools. “In Pune, there are a good number of swimming pools and they are all spread out. So even if you live somewhere in Baner or Balewadi, there are pools nearby,” he says.With so much in their favour, triathlon aspirants are going all out to make their dream come true. “A few months ago, six of my trainees completed Ironman competition in Colombo . Now, they are thinking of participating in Ironman competitions in Europe or Australia next year,” says Atul Godbole, an endurance coach in the city.At his Multifit Academy of Triathlon and Endurance Sports in Kalyaninagar, 10 triathletes are training hard for the Malaysian Ironman in November and the Dubai Half Ironman in February 2019. “One of my students is participating in the full Ironman in Sweden next month. I will participate there too,” says Velhal.So, what’s the future of triathlon in Pune? “I think the interest will only grow. Already people have started looking at the next big challenge — Ultraman , which is a three-day event. The first stage involves a 10-km ocean swim, followed by a 145-km cross-country bike ride, with vertical climbs totalling 6,000 ft. Stage two is a 276-km bike ride with total vertical climbs of 4,000 ft. Stage three is a 84-km double-marathon. Each stage must be completed within 12 hours or less,” Radkar says.“I am training three people for Ultraman. Two of my trainees will participate in Florida and one will participate in Australia,” he adds.

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