How two friends banded together to ‘take on’ Ironman
KOCHI: At 42 and 38, Arunjith Unnikrishnan and Sreenath L thought that they were well past their prime and like many, had almost given up the thought of taking up sports. Almost. Just last week, the duo successfully completed the Ironman 70.3 in Goa — a gruelling, international triathlon event that tests the mettle of even the most ardent of adventure sports enthusiasts.
So, how did they do it? That story begins in 2019, during the long days of lockdown and isolation. To break free from the sedentary lifestyle that accompanied those times, the two leaned on sports activities. If it was running for Arunjith, for Sreenath, it was cycling.
Later, when the pandemic waned, the two were not only reluctant to give up their newfound pursuits, but they also wanted to embrace it. Arunjith started going on long runs in and around Thrissur city, and Sreenath practised to cycle 100km in one stretch. Little did the duo know that they were only barely scratching the surface of ‘adventure sports’.
“To cycle 100 kilometre — I thought that in itself was a big achievement. Boy, wasn’t I wrong…” Sreenath tells TNIE. Indeed, for long-distance cycling events, 200kms was the starting distance. But rather than be miffed about it, Sreenath, who works as an assistant manager with the Reserve Bank of India in Kochi, took it as a challenge.
“That year, I completed 200-, 300-, 400- and 600-km stretches as per the specifications laid out by Audax Club Parisien (ACP), the authority on long-distance cycling events. This won me the Super Randonneur title,” he says.
The question that plagued his mind after this feat was, ‘What next?’ Soon enough, this was answered when ACP announced the next edition of the Paris-Brest-Paris Randonneu — a mega cycling event wherein one tries to cover 1,200km in under 90 hours.
“It was held last year, from August 20 to 24. Though I gave it my best, an injury I sustained forced me to retire at the 950-kilometre mark,” Sreenath adds.
Meanwhile, Arunjith, who had been bettering his run timings, soon got an invitation from Kerala Riders UAE, a Malayali triathlon club based in Dubai, to take part in Run, Kerala, Run — a 28-day marathon challenge.
“I ran 31 half marathons back to back. Running had indeed become an obsession by then,” he tells TNIE.
It was also during this time that Arunjith, an assistant director of Talent at EY Kochi, learned about triathlons. All of his club members were participating in it. But being an aquaphobic, he couldn’t.
“This fear of the water was a barrier; a handicap for me to pursue sports, especially triathlon, which required swimming, cycling and long-distance running. However, with some encouragement, I took the first step, i.e. to learn how to swim,” Arunjith says.
Even at the time, what was on his radar was the Ironman 70.3 triathlon event in Goa. “As we all know, to work with a goal in mind makes the process easier. All my friends were participating in the event, so I thought, ‘Why not me?’”
One early morning, while on his way to attend a practice session in Periyar River near Aluva, Arunjith ran into Sreejith, whom he had met during a 2022 cycling event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the formation of Idukki district.
“When I told him about Ironman, Sreenath, too, expressed interest to join,” he recalls.
Indeed, Sreenath, who had just returned from a ‘recovery trek’ to the Everest Base Camp, was raring for another adventure. “I knew cycling but did not have enough practice in swimming or running. So I joined Arunjith for training in the Periyar River that morning,” he says.
The thing about swimming is that while someone can teach you the basic survival steps, you have to master the technique yourself. “It’s unique for each individual, to put it simply. After months of practice, I mastered it only a day before the Kochi Swimathon event in April. This boosted my confidence,” Arunjith says. Sreenath just wanted the practice as he already knew the basics.
However, the swimming leg in triathlons is no ordinary beast as it happens in the ocean. “So we signed up for a sea swimming course in Puducherry. Later, we learned about a triathlon event here and enrolled in it to see how we’d fare. Surprisingly, I came second overall, and Sreenath, too, gave a good performance,” Arunjith recalls.
The two were further buoyed by their performance in the Calicut Sprint Triathlon, organised by the Calicut Pedallers Club, two weeks later. “In a matter of a month, we had transformed ourselves and were finally ready for Ironman,” Sreenath explains.
When October 27 came around and the two found themselves in Goa, each recalled how while they had learned to swim together, it was the other who helped them master the sport they didn’t know. Arunjith taught running to Sreenath, and Sreenath, cycling to Arunjith.
Now, no matter how they fared at the event, “to get this far was achievement enough and we did it as a pair. As friends. Brothers under the banner of adventure sports,” Arunjith says, adding, “We did it purely out of passion, out of the fire that burns within us.”
Sreenath finished the event, which included 1.9km of sea swimming, 90km of cycling and 21.1km of running, in seven hours and 34 minutes, while Arunjith completed it in six hours and 47 minutes. The former ranked 296 overall and 262 in his age category, and the latter, 144 and 25, respectively.
“If we can, anyone can. All you need to bear in mind is this: make gradual progress. Eventually, you could finish an Ironman title, or whatever you set your heart to,” Sreenath says. Arunjith concurs, adding, “If you give your 100%, nothing is impossible.”
Now, the duo is planning and preparing for the Oceanman in Dubai and the Ironman 70.3 in Vietnam next year.