Ranapratap Rajkumar Interview: "I never thought I could complete a triathlon"

The triathlon is a sport that’s yet to find popularity among commoners. The marathon is a rage these days, but the triathlon is a tough task. It involves 1.5 kms of swimming, 40 kms cycling and 10 kms running. Your body is put through an endurance test and one has to be supremely fit to even finish the race.

Ranapratap Rajkumar, a professional swimmer, managed to overcome his own inhibitions about completing the triathlon race at the recently held South Asian Triathlon Championship held at Pokhara, Nepal.

The event wasn’t without the degree of difficulty. The swimming leg was not held in the comforts of a swimming pool, but in open water. It was in the backwaters, cycling through the mountains, and running through the dusty trails.

Rana won the silver medal for India in the event. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, he talks about the challenges he overcame to become a triathlon specialist.

Excerpts:

You’ve been swimming professionally for over a decade now. When did you think of participating in a triathlon event?

I always knew the triathlon was very different from just swimming. When I first heard of the distance covered in the race, I was in disbelief as to how someone could have so much endurance to push themselves through 1.5 kms of swimming, 40 kms of cycling and 10 kms of cycling, in that same order. It was my swimming coach Pradeep Kumar who gave me the strength and confidence to do it. He encouraged me to become one of the top 6 triathletes in South Asia.

Isn’t training for the triathlon completely different from what you have done in swimming?

Yes, it surely is. Cycling for 40 kms in the race is not an easy task, and you need tremendous amounts of practice and endurance. I ensured I cycled 180 kms per week. I sometimes would cycle from Bangalore to Mysore on Sundays. I’d start as early as 4 am.

Running after cycling is extremely difficult, and would drain you out. I used to run every alternate day and would cover about 20 kms. Swimming was not hard at all. I am a long distance swimmer anyway, so I found that easy.

What was the most challenging part in the race for you?

The most challenging part was finishing the last 1 km of running. That’s where the hard work, practice, dedication and all the testing time spent for training pushes you to finish. I was largely motivated by my dad too. He was an international boxer and he understands the hardships of an athlete. There were days when I wanted to just give up. The training itself was so gruelling. I didn’t even want anyone to coax me into participating, and that’s when my dad gave me the courage. He kept me motivated through his own struggles in his boxing career.

Do you think swimming has fewer opportunities after a certain age, since there are not many competitions?

I disagree. As you grow old, we mature as athletes. At least I got more responsible and I take sport more seriously now than I did back when I was 12. Though despite the triathlon getting half the publicity swimming gets, I enjoy it. People are not very aware of the triathlon.

Any upcoming meets you are looking at participating in?

I am training now to participate in the open Federation Cup to be held in Kazakhstan in July.