The transition of Nagaraj Harsha from Ironcub to Ironman

Nagaraj Harsha

We all read about Nagaraj Harsha and felt his dedication and focus. Somewhere along the line we got inspired, he became our friend and we became his cheerleaders – rooting for him and hoping and praying that he completes his Ironman in style. And did he disappoint us? Hell no!

28th July 2013 was the date. Zurich, Switzerland was the place, and 7 am was the start time. He woke up in time and went through his regular race day motions – had a shower, checked on his bike, slipped into his uber awesome trisuit and was ready to go own the day.

When I asked him what was going through his head – he gave me a look and said – “swim – 3.84K, bike – 180.25K, run – 42.2K “. I smiled!

As he started the narration of his experience, I could clearly see that he had the entire race imprinted in his mind and was reliving each moment as we spoke.

He went through the details of the swim and how your state of mind is key in being able to perform at such an event . As he was swimming, he did the first 2k in an easy 45 minutes at which point he realised that he had misplaced his bib, making him panic, which led to not as much of an impressive performance as he would have liked in the remainder of the race. His mind was not in the meditative state of being in the moment but more into planning and thinking of next steps.

Once out of the water, he had to go and speak to the officials instead of concentrating on his nutrition and transition for the rest of the race. As they went about arranging his temporary bib, he lost time during the transition.

Having not-the-best of the starts didn’t deter him because the next leg was his favorite – cycling. This is where he was going to catch up on lost time and precious minutes but this also meant that he wouldn’t be able to make as many stops at the aid stations to keep up with the original nutrition plan.

As he started passing other athletes on their fancy triathlon bicycles, he fell a little bit more in love with his Bianchi and sent out some extremely positive vibes to Naveen, the man who groomed it before its outing to Zurich.

He took his first sip of water at the 70k mark, stopped at an aid station and loaded up on the gels. He then continued on his way and with 5k remaining came the dreaded Heartbreak hill.

As he saw other athletes get off their bicycles to walk up the hill, he told himself this is not even an option and he willed his body to push himself above and beyond as he climbed that hill.

Once he reached the top, his body completely cramped, and he fell with his beloved Bianchi. He couldn’t move to even release his cleats. As he struggled, a volunteer came to his rescue and helped him off his bike. He was given a cup of soup, and he felt his body relax but had to give himself a good 15 minute rest before he could get back on the move.

“If you are going through hell, keep going” – Winston Churchill.

Now started the last leg of the race and his first ever Full Marathon. The final 42.2K of pain which opens the door to guts and glory. He had to take 4 loops of the 10k loop. As easy as it sounds, and as glorious as he made it look, it was pain unleashed.

He had cut his foot the day before on a piece of glass but at this time it was just too far into the race to let a cut affect him. And so it went, the Ironman shuffle; one foot in front of the other and a smile on his face (“it relaxes me and reminds me that this test of physical endurance makes me happy”).

Nagraj Harsha

All those weeks that we ran around the Kanteerva track flashed across my mind. And just like that, in 13 hours 17 minutes, our beloved Ironcub became an Ironman. He made us Bangaloreans so proud. Nagaraj – you are a rockstar and we love you and your “nothing can stop me” spirit.

What’s next? Nagaraj says that he has realised a few things. Firstly, race day conditions just cannot be predicted, and they make a big difference to your performance. No one had expected Zurich to be as hot as it was and it had meant that original race strategy could not be followed.

Secondly, the relevance of taking rest. Also, continual and race day nutrition and just how important they are for peak performance. He has also understood how 70% of the Ironman is about the games our mind plays with us,and 30% is about the physical endurance that an athlete has. It is easy to see that he is addicted – hooked, booked and cooked!

He will be aiming for a sub-12 hour Ironman next, and I have a suspicion that he will be completing it in less than that. To more training and faster times – show us how its done IRONMAN – lead the way!