Ironman at 67!

Arun Krishnan recently earned the honour of becoming the oldest Indian Ironman. The man who achieved the title at the Cairns Championship talks about his training and lifestyle

Arun Krishnan, an engineer by profession from Chennai, has won the title of Ironman at the Asia-Pacific Championship Cairns. For the uninitiated, Ironman is a triathlon challenge comprising a 3.8 km swim in open water, 180 km of cycling, and finally a full marathon run of 42.2 km, to be completed within the stipulated time of 16 hours 30 minutes. Arun clocked 16 hours 27 minutes and 35 seconds, just 2 minutes and 25 seconds within the cut-off time.

Not impressed Wait till you hear another statistic: He is 67 years old, hence qualifying for the honour of being the oldest Indian to become an Ironman.

Elaborating on his training methods for the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship Cairns, Arun says, “I trained for 24 weeks in Chennai. My favourite event is cycling, so I concentrated on it. I used to practice at the Porur-Tambaram Bypass. For swimming, I tried a different style — total immersion swimming or effortless swimming. Though it compromises on speed, this form of swimming is less tiring.” When quizzed about whether he had any stressful moments during the championship, Arun reveals, “I was a bit stressful during the cycling leg. Apart from that, I was very much into the battle!”

Arun had previously participated in the Austria Half Ironman and the Chennai Iron Triathlon organised by the Chennai Trekking Club, and says that anyone can accomplish what he has. “I was fighting throughout. I ran through, exchanging high fives and onto the timing mat to hear my name being called out, followed by the magical words ‘You are an Ironman’. I was choked with emotion while holding the Indian flag.”

Arun has been running marathons since 1986 and has participated in the ones in Berlin, Paris, Chicago and Tokyo. According to him, running marathons helps him de-stress. “All youngsters should take up running and do marathons.”

He is planning to start a physical fitness and training centre in Chennai. “I would love to train people in total immersion swimming and cycling. Most athletes don’t follow this form of swimming,” he says.

Arun affirms that south Indian food is the best for athletes. “It has all the calorific value needed. I had cramps during the championship, and when I ate bananas it subsided. Though I was stressed, I pushed myself to my best. While swimming, the sea became rough. So it was a little tough for me. Overall, it was a great experience.”

As a parting shot, Arun says it is equally important to keep the brain cells active. So, he is taking an interest in bridge and making efforts to improve his skills in the game.