Bengaluru athlete successfully completes Copenhagen Ironman

Nirupa Shankar, a Bengaluru-based entrepreneur, is among a handful of Indians who have completed the recently held Ironman triathlon in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

The gruelling race requires athletes to complete 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km of cycling and 41.7 km of running within 15 hours and 45 minutes. Nirupa clocked 14 hours and 47 minutes.

Fitness focus

Nirupa, the joint managing director of Brigade Group, shares that she got hooked to running post the birth of her first child in 2015. “I had gained some weight and wanted to get back in shape,” she says. It took her a year and a half to achieve the fitness level she had aimed for, but she continued running post that and eventually began participating in marathons and triathlons. 

In 2021, she was part of a sprint (short distance) triathlon in Croatia, and in March 2022, she participated in the half Ironman in Dubai. She began training for the 2023 Ironman in January this year. “Each event took me five to six months to train for,” she reveals.

Rigorous training

The 37-year-old’s weekly training involved two sessions each of swimming, running and biking. In addition, she also underwent one yoga session and two strength training sessions a week, to prepare for the race. “The biggest challenge was finding time to train. I have to juggle my kids and my job. I was training for an hour a day, when I should have been doing two hours for a race like Ironman,” she reveals. 

She explains that endurance races are not as intimidating as she once thought. “I believe anyone can do it as long as they have a good coach with a good plan. The key is breaking the training down into smaller pieces,” she says. Giving up socialising, partying and drinking were some sacrifices she had to make. “Even if I had one drink, I could see the consequences of it the next day in my training session. My heart rate would be elevated,” she
adds. She also prioritised sleep, protein and nutritious food.

However, she confesses that before the race she was plagued by thoughts of getting cramps while swimming and navigating unfamiliar terrain. “I couldn’t sleep the night before. And just before the race began, I ran into a guy who had done 16 Ironmans. He hadn’t slept either. He said that no matter how many times you participate, the night before is always tough,” she recalls. 

Facing challenges

But the swim, which was first, went smoothly, despite Nirupa having to ignore the arms and legs of other athletes swimming above, under and beside her. While biking, which is the second part of the race, she started cramping about 50 kilometres before the finish line. “So I had to eat some salt capsules and keep myself motivated,” she shares. The final part of the race, running, got a bit challenging after the first 20 kilometres. “My legs were like jelly but I had to keep going. I kept telling myself that I can do it,” recalls Nirupa, who now has her eyes set on the Tata Mumbai Marathon, which will be held in January 2024.