The Gurgaon Ironman who left a corporate job for endurance sports

When he uses the title ‘Ironman’ before his name, children enthusiastically ask him if that means he is going to work with Tony Stark. But to the disappointment of the little ones, Abhishek Mishra has nothing to do with the superhero.
This Gurgaon guy was a regular corporate employee who, one day, left his job to pursue endurance sports and went on to win the title of Ironman – twice.The Ironman Triathlon is a format consisting of 3.8km of swimming, followed by 180km of cycling, followed by 42.2km of running, which participants have to finish in 17 hours to earn the title. The 30-year-old is now gearing up to participate in one of world’s toughest endurance sporting events – the Ultraman Triathlon (to be held in Florida next year), where the distances are almost double those of the Ironman and the event is conducted in stages over three days. “There are more than 40 Ironman events organized across the world annually (except in India). My first Ironman was in Spain in 2015 and the second was in South Africa this year. Last year, Milind (Soman) won the title in Switzerland. He did a lake swim and I did an ocean swim. Whoever completes the race in time earns the title. About 2,000 people participate in every event. However, because there is no awareness in India, we have only 20-odd Ironman titleholders here. But Milind, being a star, has made the Ironman race popular among Indians. Now people want us to train them,” he says.
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Abhishek hails from Varanasi and shifted to Gurgaon in 2008 when he got a job here. “Gurgaon was still not the ‘Millennium City’ back then. I was crazy about football and I was looking for a football field here, which I couldn’t find. Gradually, in the corporate world, the interest in sports had taken a backseat. In 2011, I participated in the Delhi half marathon because of my passion for sports. That is where it all started. Then I started taking the races more seriously and training for them. In 2013, a friend told me about the Ironman. What amazed me was that about 95% participants in the Ironman were working professionals. I thought, if a surgeon or a painter can do it, so can I. In 2014, I left my job, started doing ultra (long distance) runs, learnt swimming and trained accordingly. I chose Spain (for his first Ironman), and the event coincided with my birthday. Also, my favourite football team is Spain,” he says.
Ask him why he would participate in another Ironman or the Ultraman, and he says, “Endurance sports are like my meditation. The title will remain with me forever, but doing it again gives me the belief that I am still worthy of that title. I need to be consistent and at the same time, improve.” He adds, “So far, only one Indian has participated in the Ultraman and another friend will be doing it soon in Australia. It’s not an open event – one needs to apply and then wait for the invite. I am fortunate that I have been invited.”
These days, he organizes running and endurance sports events. “I joined Milind in organizing two Pinkathons. Later, I wanted to start something of my own. Last November, I organized the Millennium City Marathon. I organized a half marathon in Lucknow too. By the way, I am also the first Ironman who hails from UP,” he says, adding, “People should not run to win marathons but to stay fit. I won the Ironman after four years of running, but people think they can win the title after only a few months of training. I am promoting running as healthier way of living.”
The Sector 56 resident is focusing more on swimming these days as it is his weakness among the three Ironman activities, but he still runs often. “I usually run on the Gurgaon-Faridabad road because it has that rolling terrain. If I have to do short loop runs, I occasionally go to Biodiversity Park,” he says.