Panaji: Triathlete couple Brigadier (retd) Rajesh Joshy and his wife Poonam will make their presence at the IRONMAN 70.3 Goa, scheduled to be held on Nov 13 in the capital city.
The second edition of the IRONMAN 70.3 Goa event, which will see triathletes swim 1.9 km, cycle 90 km, and run 21 km back-to-back within the stipulated eight and half hours will see over 1300 participants from across India and 21 other countries taking part.
Rajesh (59) and Poonam (56) from Harda town in Madhya Pradesh are a Triathlon couple, who will be taking part in this race for the second time. The duo successfully completed the first edition of the race in October 2019.
The couple, who arrived in Goa, four weeks before the race day, emphasized the importance of acclimatization in a sport like IRONMAN.
“Acclimatisation here in Goa is the key to performing well. The humidity and heat of Goa pose its challenges and these can be overcome by proper acclimatization and practicing on the actual routes,” Rajesh said.
The couple, who is in their late 50s, has no qualms about taking up this challenging sport.
“Endurance requires discipline, and the will to achieve the challenge. Raw strength of the younger achievers is replaced by good technique and the will to achieve,” they said.
While the Joshy couple has defied age, a younger couple from Bengaluru Sunny Gupta (28) and Devanshi Gupta (28) are excited to race in their maiden appearance this year.
“I heard about IRONMAN races a couple of years back, but with most races being held abroad, it was not feasible for me. But when IRONMAN 70.3 Goa was announced, my wife and I decided to sign up for it,” Sunny, an advertising professional, said.
Devanshi said she had been inspired by her husband, who encouraged her to sign up. “Sunny has been my biggest support and motivation. We have been training for the past one year and are eager to experience the race in Goa and soak up the atmosphere.”
