Gritty Indian Completes World’s Toughest Endurance Test

For Anjali Bhalinge, nothing is impossible as she just goes ahead and makes the toughest things happen. Even though she is on the wrong side of 50, she participated in one of the world’s toughest sporting event- the Ironman Triathlon and was the oldest among the four Indians to complete the event. The  Ironman Triathlon was held at Vichy, France. It consists of a 3.8-km swim, 180-km bicycle ride and 42.2-km run, in that order and without a break. Adventure enthusiast Bhalinge completed the event in 14 hours and 52 minutes to emerge 18th among the 1,500 participants. It would be surprising to know that she was a late starter. She made her way into the Maharashtra Cycling Team when she was in her 40s. Yet, she was a fast learner and participated in cycle races across the country. Later, she took to running and participated in half-marathons and full marathons. She won many medals and accolades along the way. She states that it is all a mind game and age cannot stand in her way. Adequate and proper training can enable others, especially women to conquer any tough sporting event like the triathlon. Bhalinge first came to know about the event when she read about Kaustubh Radkar, the first Indian to complete the triathlon. A meeting with him in 2012 inspired her to participate in the competition. Although she was amazed by the long distances that one had to cover, she was not deterred. Since she had done cycling, running and swimming for long distances, she felt confident that she could complete the event. It was this self-confidence as well as the vigorous practice that she did before the event that saw her through the world’s toughest endurance test.