Kovalam, which has been a surfing landmark for close to a decade, might now become a pitstop for destination athletes as well. That is, if we go by the line-up of events designed by the all new Wild Warrior Race. Their Covelong Triathlon slated for March 11 will cover a 1.5 km swim in the ocean followed by a 40 km cycle ride on the ECR and finally a 10 km run to the end. With the word out on social media, mountaineer Varun Gunaseelan, one of the founders tells us, “We’ve already got the attention of athletes from as far as Sri Lanka,Singapore and Malaysia, apart from interest closer home.”
Riding the tidal wave of adrenaline-charged fitness competitions that are fast growing in number across India with races such as the Devil’s Circuit and the Goa Triathlon growing in popularity, this company with a philosophy of ‘adventure-based fitness’ hopes to add to the movement. “We want to build a fitter and healthier community,” says co-founder and tennis champion Somdev Devvarman who keeping in line with that interest is excited to share that their launch obstacle relay at IIT Madras’ Saarang earlier this month saw participation across ages 15 to 70. Arun Karthik with experience in event management and obstacle course athlete and callisthenics expert Vikram Menon who is incidentally training for the Asian Obstacle Racing Championships in Manila as we speak, complete the team. With their combined vast amounts of sporting and management experience, Vikram says the team has a host of different event formats in store, including obstacle courses, destination triathlons, duathlons and trail runs in the offing.
As far as the creation of each course goes, Vikram explains, the terrain of the location will determine the line-up of obstacles. “Based on the natural terrain — be it, a mountain side, beach side or a rocky area we try to optimise the challenges to suit the area,” he says. This is followed he elaborated by “carefully designing and selecting obstacles or sports in a sequence that give the participant an adventurous line-up without straining too many of the same muscles one after the other”, Vikram elaborates.The highlight of their schedule this year will be their Wild Warrior Hima-layan Rush, which commendably has made it to the list of Top 5 Destination Triathlons in the World in Triathlon Magazine Canada. A a multi-sport event of duathlons, triathlons and marathons, this combo fest for adrenaline junkies will take place in Nepal on March 31.
Registration from `1,200 upwards, depending on the race you want to register for. Details: Wild Warrior Race Facebook page.
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