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Amit Samarth, a Nagpur-based former public health expert, is mentally and physically prepared to tackle jellyfish when he plunges at Goa’s Miramar beach to compete in the 2022 Ironman 70.3 triathlon event scheduled for this weekend in Panaji.
Over the phone from Goa, Samarth told Sportskeeda:
“Have heard there are jellyfish in the sea water of Goa and I am mentally and physically prepared if stung by the jellyfish during the competition.”
The first segment of the Ironman 70.3 is a 1.9km open sea swim, followed by a grueling 90km cycle. The 21km on the road will be the last leg of the race. The Goa competition is also a qualifying event for the 2023 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
The first edition of the Ironman was held in 2019 while the next two editions were postponed due to covid-19 pandemic.
Goa’s warm and humid weather at this time of the year is another issue Amit Samarth, a SCOTT Athlete, has prepared to tackle.
The 42-year-old father-of-two explained:
“I arrived in Goa on Wednesday. No doubt mornings and evenings are pleasant, but it gets warm during the day.
“It will be a challenging task for the competitors to tackle local weather conditions that aren’t conducive for endurance competition during the day.”
Samarth’s biggest strength is cycling. Perhaps that is why he has been nominated as “Bicycle Mayor of Nagpur”. According to him, his vast experience as an ultra-cyclist will be an asset when he competes this weekend in Goa.
The Nagpur athlete said:
“I have specific designed cycle for triathlon events by a bicycle company in Europe. I shall able be able to complete the 90km cycling leg of the race in an average time of two hours and 15 minutes.”
Amit Samarth will compete in the 40-45 age group. Going by his current fitness, he should be on the podium. For some reason, the father of two children doesn’t want to predict anything in an endurance event like Ironman.
He said:
“I just want to go out and enjoy will not think too much about the result.”
Amit Samarth talks about things beyond the 2022 Ironman 70.3
During an hour-long conversation that touched on several topics, including his future plans to guide youngsters from the tribal region of Madhya Pradesh to follow sports, Amit Samarth became serious when it came to discussing fitness, particularly endurance events.
Despite having a passion for fitness and guiding youngsters to follow sports, he finds enough time for his family. He starts his day early at 4 am, but spends time with wife and children.
Samarth concluded:
“My office is within the premises of our house, so have ample time for family too.”
Stung by a fitness bug, Samarth quit his job as a public health expert a decade ago. He started ultra-cycling in 2016. He was also the first Indian to compete in the 2018 Trans-Siberian extreme bicycle race held from Moscow to Vladivostok in Russia. His profile indicates that he competed in more than 15 Ironman competitions.
