2 min readSep 16, 2019 11:19 AM IST
First published on: Sep 15, 2019 at 01:14 AM IST
Mayank Vaid at the completion of the Enduroman triathlon in Paris (Mayank Vaid)
Mayank Vaid has become the first Indian to complete the Enduroman — a triathlon from England to France which is considered to be one of the toughest endurance competitions in the world. Vaid is the 44th person in the world to have completed this triathlon. He is also the first Asian person to complete this triathlon in solo capacity.
Remarkably, Vaid has also broken the record for the shortest time taken to complete the ‘Enduroman – Arch to Arc’ triathlon. He completed the triathlon — involving running, swimming and cycling — in 50 hours and 24 minutes. The previous record for this triathlon was 52 hours and 30 minutes, held by Julien Deneyer of Belgium.
The triathlon starts with a 140 km run from London’s Marble Arch to Dover on the Kent coast, then a cross-Channel swim (shortest distance 33.8 km) to the French coast, and finishes with a 289.7 km bike ride from Calais to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, Vaid said, “This is the longest point to point triathlon in the world. Only 44 persons have completed it so far. More people have climbed Mt. Everest. It is truly the toughest and most brutal triathlon in the world.”
Asked to speak about the difficulties he faced in the course of his record run, he said, “The swim and bike sections were really hard. Especially going sleepless for more than 50 hours. The most challenging part is when a swimmer starts to see the French coast and that’s when the mind plays games. I was told by one of my swimming buddies, ‘when you see the coast don’t raise your head again to look for the coast. It’s a mirage. Keep swimming’.”
Mayank Vaid at the completion of the Enduroman triathlon in Paris (Mayank Vaid)
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