Uttarakhand to host 'Soul of Steel' challenge on the lines of ‘Ironman triathlon’
NEW DELHI: The Indian Army has decided to support an initiative of the veterans which is aimed to promote adventure tourism and is expected to create jobs for the locals in the state of Uttarakhand.
‘Soul of Steel’ challenge on the lines of the ‘Ironman triathlon’ long-distance triathlon challenge in Europe which tests an individual physically is set to be launched in India but with an added challenge of high altitude endurance.
The first edition is set to be formally launched on January 14 and the effort is spearheaded by a venture CLAW Global run by veterans and is being supported by the Indian Army.
Speaking about the idea Major Vivek Jacob (Retd) of CLAW Global said, “The idea behind Soul of Steel is pooling of skill sets and creating a challenge that will unlock the human ability to survive, stabilise and thrive in high altitude areas.” It is an endurance challenge at high altitudes for civilians.
Initially, there would be 12 Indian participants plus six international teams and the age profile to apply is 18 to 30 years. “The challenge will be spread over three months. It will also enable life skill training, youth development, global promotion of adventure tourism in Uttarakhand and also display the skillset of veterans, he stated.
The challenge is divided into four stages: Stage 1: Jungle and mountain training over 40 days; Stage 2: High altitude training over 30 days; Stage 3: Refresher course for international teams over 15 days and Stage 4: The challenge over seven days.
Informing about the screening process, Jacob said participants would be screened from March 01 and instructor orientation programmes from March 15. The final participant screening would be done on the ground at Nainital on March 27. Training would be imparted during April-May 2023.
The locations selected are generally in the area of the Nanda Devi national park which has several 7000 feet plus peaks. In addition, there would be improvised challenges on the ground for the participants.
The total cost of the project is about ₹30 crore at the lowest and they are looking at the companies for sponsorship, in addition, to resources from Army and CLAW, he said adding, “We will ask participants who apply for a token fee. It will be something all Indians can afford.”
The CLAW (Conquer Land Air Water) Global, set up in January 2019 by Major Jacob is a team of former special forces personnel and likeminded people who works with their focus being to ‘design and implement sustainable large-scale employment solutions’ for people with disabilities and the underprivileged, especially in the ‘Environment conservation and Sustainability’ space. Major Jacob served with the Para SF but had to hang up his boots following a combat skydive injury after 14 years of service in the Army.