“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…
These are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence” – Confucius
Competition has always been an intrinsic part of human beings, most visibly in athletic sports. Hypercube Technologies is proud to be associated with the Enduro Sports Goa annual Triathlon that is coming up on February 11, a spectacle of a three-part race including swimming, cycling and running.
The origins of physical athletic sport in competition go back to Ancient Greek, where they strived to achieve arete (excellence) in their local gymnasium. Besides the physical training they also studied math, philosophy and political rhetoric among other things. Interestingly – but unrelated – the word gymnasium comes from the Greek word ‘gymnos’ meaning naked; also to be noted is they exercised completely butt naked.
Historically, our focus on physical fitness comes from the ancestral age of hunter-gatherers, which required us to be strong and fast. Today that practice has gone from becoming a requirement to survive to a requirement for being healthy.
The Birth of a Triathlon
The format of a triathlon was born in 1974 in a track club in San Diego. Don Shanahan and Jack Johnstone are pioneers in the history of the triathlon; the first one ever was sponsored by the San Diego Track Club and took place on September 25, 1974. At the initial event, the participants were supposed to go through 500 meters Swim then Cycle for another 8 kilometer before running the last 10 kilometers.
By 1989 the Triathlon was given Olympic status and since then the sport has just grown in popularity.
Triathlon in India
The popularity of endurance sports such as marathons and triathlons is just picking up in India. There are about 5 different cities in India that organize a triathlon: Hyderabad, Delhi, Goa (Panaji), Chennai and Pune. Also, so far there have been at least 11 Indians who are winners of the Ironman Title, which is like an authentication certificate for all the serious endurance sports athletes.
Professional triathletes train year-round with sponsors paying for their training, trips and any equipment required. They also have expert medical teams and coaches to help them strategize and plan the triathlon course down to the minute details, including their split times in the different disciplines, the importance of nutrition, hydration during the race, pacing and working through not just physical, but mental fatigue.
There’s a long way for that kind of support to come up in India because we already fall short in the support required for the sports that have strong national teams; however, the current crop of professional triathletes in India are changing the scene and paving the way for a more structured approach to this sport.
The Goan Triathlon
Coming into its 5th year, the Triathlon organized by Enduro Sports is a step forward in tending to the peaking interests of endurance sports in India. Covering almost the whole of Bambolim area, the Triathlon is a feat that few can brag about completing, but more should aspire to compete in.
After all, if we strive for arete, success follows.
