BENGALURU: Three years ago, if you had told Blossom Fernandez she would be an ‘Ironman’, she would probably have been in disbelief. But that’s exactly Fernandez’s story. In 2016, she did her first-ever run of 5km at Pinkathon.
In 2019, she completed the Ironman (42.2 km run, 180.25 km bike ride and a 3.8 km swim) in Copenhagen in 13:22:50 on Aug 18. The former cabin manager with Jet Airways has been training over the last couple of months
“The first time I ever did a full-marathon was on race day. I had previously run 25 km, and my coaches suggested I don’t go further,” she says, adding that though she was exhausted when she started the last segment – the run – she hardly felt it since she did it in four loops.
“I was ecstatic when I reached the finish line. My body was aching the next day and I said I would never venture into something like this again. But soon, I was thinking about my next race,” she laughs.
Fernandez’s training schedule included two runs, bike rides, swims and strength training sessions each. While she had figured a way to juggle her flights, the airline’s closure turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
“Except that I had chosen Copenhagen Ironman since I could get staff tickets. I decided to crowdfund, and garnered Rs 4 lakh,” she says, adding that she used the prize money from a triathlon in Goa to register for the event.