Fe man
This idea sparked back in 2015 when Milind Soman did his first iron man. This was the first time I was introduced to such a race, it motivated me so much. If captain Vyom could do it so could I. I was working in ZS associates at the time in Pune and quickly got a starter road bike (~20k INR more than half of my monthly paycheck). As with everything, I became obsessed with biking and used to ride from 4-8 AM in the morning and then go to work.
My obsession ended with an actual 180 km ride and an amateur cycling race. I also got involved with the local cycling club. Fun times.
I finally realized this dream by competing in the Santa Cruz Ironman 70.3 2026. It was incredibly tough even after so much practice. I had never done an open water swim at 15 degrees Celsius without a wetsuit; in hindsight this was not a good decision. Claude had warned me about the involuntary ‘gasp’ response within 2-3 mins of entering the water and it kicked in like clockwork. Had it not been for the AI I would have quit the race within ~5 minutes of entering it.
I completed the rest of the swim by floating on water, which is the easiest stance, although it took me 77 minutes, but I realized endurance is the name of the game, and I kept learning this lesson throughout the race. All my movements were slow, deliberate, and continuous. I jogged mildly to the transition area, changed and hopped on the bike, I started strong and got punished later again with strong headwinds and climbs, at the end of mile 25 I felt defeated while realizing that it’s not even half the biking course and I already feel fully drained and all my leg muscles want to give up. The return was much more fun.
Another learning was to take advantage of the course and the momentum it offers; my bike return was much faster with multiple miles with > 30 mph speeds. I used the speed on the slopes and transferred that inertia to the climb, it’s a little hard but not as long as peddling on easy gears for a long time. The last 6 miles were a desperation, I could see most of the people finishing the half marathon while I was still trying to finish the bike.
The run was where practice truly showed up, my legs could not power up at all. I had some nutrition on course and ran at a snail’s pace, my strongest part was the trail run where I ran continuously for 2.5 miles, there was a small glimmer of hope, where I thought I could continue this but then the legs just fully gave up. I walked the last 3 miles - my time chip was stripped off me at mile 11.8 since the official finish was closed. This race was not about glory anymore; I gave it one last push and ran for about ~0.5 miles just when my left leg muscles started spasming and I knew that any more force or push would render me immobile. I just walked and completed the race.
It was a mixed feeling - I did it but then also didn’t. I felt much better when I talked to my friends and family. I was comparing myself to the elite athletes, regular triathlon participants, and relay runners who all at some point might have fallen short of their expectations. Instead, I should be comparing myself against me
- I just started running in July (in fact I was embarrassed to run a 5k with my work colleagues) and in practice I completed 10+ half marathons and even completed one today, from no running to 10+ half marathons in 3 months is massive
- I biked for 56 miles with a respectable time with headwinds and elevation with 0 stops
- I swam in open water for the first time, and was among the only two people who did it without a wetsuit in 3000+ participants
- Above all I completed it without failure or any major injury
This is huge personal win and one of the toughest physical things I have done in my life. Some parts of the course were so hard that I audibly cursed (which I rarely do). I dreamt about this in 2015 and realized it yesterday. It was an 11 year dream come true, but there wasn’t a sudden burst of emotions like I imagined in all my practice sessions, it’s was a slow warmth of confidence and a natural relaxation - a feeling like when you wake up from a deep afternoon weekend nap, feeling revitalized and ready for something new!
2026
2015
