While media agencies were raving about Milind Soman completing the Florida Ultraman Challenge, Pune resident Kaustubh Radkar finished the race three hours before Soman – finishing 34th overall. Amongst the five Indians, who completed the race, Radkar finished first.
Speaking to DNA from Florida, Radkar said that after completing a three-day race, one needs to do the right things. “I ate the right foods and filled myself with water and electrolytes. Besides this, I did some slow walks and tried to stay as active as possible, while also recovering with ice baths and massages,” he said.
The 517.5-kilometre race was divided into swimming, cycling and running. The first day comprised a 10-kilometre swim and a 148-kilometre bike ride. The second day was a 276-kilometre bike ride and the final day comprised an 84-kilometre run.
While talking about the race, Radkar said that the first day was tough, particularly during the swim. “The water was cold and it affected my performance. Also because of the waves I had nausea that didn’t help on the bike,” he said.
During the course of the 424-kilometre bike ride over the course of two days, Radkar suffered a puncture because of a pin that was stuck in his tire. “In addition, my nutrition plan had to be changed quite a bit due to nausea, but I was able to finish right on expected time so that was very good mentally,” he added.
Along with Radkar, there were four other Indian runners. One, of course, was Milind Soman, who finished 41st in the race. The other three, Abhishek Mishra, Prithviraj Patil and Manmadh Rebba, who also completed the race, didn’t see much of each other during the course of the race. “Whenever we did, which was once while on the bike ride and during the run, we told each other to hold steady and strong till we reached the finish line,” he said.
This was Radkar’s first Ultraman, and for him the toughest race he had done so far. “You need a strong base to run an ultra. I have run a few day-long events, but this was a whole new challenge. Three days and tough distances wasn’t a cakewalk,” said Radkar, who says that he’s now going to run the South African Ironman on April 2.
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