GREATER NOIDA: "Just a few moments before crossing the finishing line, I unfurled the Indian flag and ran holding the flag high. It was one of the greatest moments of my life with people cheering 'India, India'" claims an exhilarated Abhishek Raj , a resident of Stellar Jeevan Apartment Greater Noida West. The senior consultant and unit head of medical oncology at a private hospital (Sarvodaya Hospital) in Faridabad, Raj 38, who returned to India on Wednesday, was one of the 10 participants from India (others from Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, and Hyderabad etc) and first from Greater Noida, out of a total of 2400 individuals from 77 countries who took part in the Ironman Triathlon held in Copenhagen , Denmark, on August 18.
A gruelling multi-sport competition, the Ironman Triathlon is the litmus test of one's grit at fitness and consists of 3.8 km of open water swimming followed by 80 km of cycling and 42.2 km of running all of which must be completed within 17 hours.
Raj completed the feat in 12 hours and 54 minutes. For this, he underwent months of rigorous training of nearly 10-15 hours a week, including online coaching from UK's Daniel Lanigan. Usually, Raj worked out early in the morning around 4-4.
30 am or late at night around 8 o'clock. His primary motivation for participating was to champion the cause of health awareness and a fit life. "I'm a staunch advocate of a healthy lifestyle and consistent exercise is fundamental to enhancing the quality and longevity of life.
Thr.