Tennis Hall of famer Leander Paes lauds athletes of Ironman 70.3 triathlon with race set to happen on October 27

Also known as the half Ironman or middle distance, this event is the shorter of the two longest triathlon distances. The “70.3” refers to the total distance in miles (113.0 km) covered in the race.

Leander Paes (centre) said that only 0.0001 per cent of the world gets to stand on an Olympic podium but he feels completing an Ironman race meant an athletes is already a a champion. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

More than 1,200 athletes from over 50 countries will gather in Goa on Sunday for the fourth edition of the Ironman 70.3 triathlon race.

The event will be flagged off with a 1.9km, one-lap triangular swim at the Miramar beach. It will be followed by a 90km bike circuit scaling the outskirts of Panaji and will come to a close with a three-lap 21km run that will track back to the starting point. The race will provide 45 age-group qualifying slots for the 2025 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, which will happen in Spain.

Tennis Hall of Famer and ambassador of the race, Leander Paes, lauded the athletes who would run in one of the toughest endurance-based sporting events.

“There are tremendous similarities between the preparation and training of an Olympian and the amount of hard work that goes into even completing an Ironman race,” Paes said.

“You can’t just wake up one morning and become an Ironman athlete. It takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. There’s tremendous synergy in what it takes to even compete in an Ironman race because, as I know all too well, only 0.0001 per cent of the world gets to stand on an Olympic podium. But I also know completing an Ironman race means you’re a champion already,” he added.

This edition will also include close to 120 participants from central and state services, about 15 per cent of whom are women.

Also known as the half Ironman or middle distance, this event is the shorter of the two longest triathlon distances. The “70.3” refers to the total distance in miles (113.0 km) covered in the race.

The reason behind hosting a half Ironman instead of the regular 140.6-mile affair boils down to logistics and the difficulties that the public might have to face once the event commences.

“The idea of hosting a half Ironman is to find a starting point for the race to get introduced. Right from checking if the water is safe for the athletes, to making sure the cycling route is clear of any traffic, a lot goes behind the scenes. Conducting the longer version will mean double the effort and improved amenities,” Deepak Raj, the race director, said.

However, Deepak revealed that there were plans in the near future to expand the event into a full-fledged Ironman and hoped to build the required infrastructure as soon as possible. “We have a target in mind, and that is to host the full-distance Ironman in the next two to three years,” Deepak said.