Bandra-based entrepreneur Neil D'Souza celebrated his 30th birthday by completing the toughest triathlon
On your 30th birthday, you would probably be out all night pub-hopping and celebrating with friends. Neil D'souza decided to do things differently. How so, you ask? This Bandra-based entrepreneur completed the full Ironman, known to be the toughest triathlon in the world. Here, we present excerpts from an interview with him.
I have been swimming for the longest time and have been pursuing cycling too. In April, 2011, I left US to start my non-profit education venture and moved to Mongolia, Indonesia, and finally back home to Mumbai. I lost touch with endurance sports and wanted to push myself as I was turning 30 soon. I always wanted to participate in Ironman as I thought it was the toughest sport out there. So, I signed up for it, and it also happened to coincide with my birthday.
I knew from my past experiences of participating in triathlons that I needed to train for atleast 14 hours per week for a period of nine months to be really fit to complete Ironman. Unfortunately, the roads in the city are not the best to practice long rides or cycling so I could never complete any ride that was more than 100 km. Also, the monsoon made it difficult to ride outside. So, I installed an indoor bike with CompuTrainer, to train for cycling. It simulates a specific cycling route pattern made of hills, flat roads and more; that helped me a lot.
The Malaysian Ironman is one of the toughest ones out there as it has a steep hilly route coupled with extreme heat. Out of the 1,400 participants, only 850 made it. For me, the swim was great but from there on, it got tougher. I lost one of the cleats of my bikes in the second lap of the cycling phase. Moreover, I forgot to hydrate and fainted three times. But I pushed through running, some walking and finally completed it at 16 hours and 48 minutes.
I am usually quite persistent; I don't give up easily. Even as a child, if I wanted to do something, I would see to it that I complete it. I got into edurance swimming at the age of seven and that really helped me be patient and pace myself. This skill comes in handy for me as an entrepreneur where grit and patience is needed on a daily basis. Endurance sport gives me time alone with myself; it pushes me to refine the skills that I need to excel at my day job.
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