One of the most arduous races in the world.
By Raif Karerat
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WASHINGTON, DC: Esteemed Bollywood actor, model, and producer Milind Soman recently captured the collective imagination of the Indian nation when he completed the Ironman Triathlon held in Zurich, Switzerland on July 19.
The Ironman Triathlon is considered one of the world’s arduous races and the Zurich edition counted seven Indians amongst its 2,000 entrants, reported Indian news outlet Firstpost.
Soman, who is also a national level swimmer for India, had been preparing for this competition for past few months, according to The Times of India.
The triathlon consisted of a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride, and a marathon 26.2-mile (42.2 km) run, paced in that order and without any breaks.
While few Indians ever achieved the feat of crossing an Ironman finish line, 50-years-old Soman completed the race with aplomb in 15 hours and 19 minutes. Of the seven Indians who participated in the race this year, five completed the race, reported the Bangladesh-based Daily Star.
“If you are sufficiently aware and monitor your body’s response at every stage in terms of nutrition and pace, it will all come together. I wanted to gift myself something special in my 50th year and I am glad I could do this,” Soman told The Indian Express on phone from Zurich.
Soman is best known for his leading role in the mid-1990s as Captain Vyom in the eponymous Hindi science fiction television show. At the turn of the millennium he decided to focus on films, and has starred in Bollywood features such as “16 December,” ” Pachaikili Muthucharam,” and “Asoka.”
He has also acted in a number of English language and other foreign films, including “Valley of Flowers” and “The Flag.” In the Swedish film “Arn – The Knight Templar” he portrayed Saladin, the exalted 12th-century Kurdish leader of Arabs and Muslims.