Tejasvi Surya Becomes the first Member of Parliament to Complete IRONMAN 70.3 Goa

Hyderabad: If you are looking for motivation to lead a fitter, healthier lifestyle, look no further. Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, at 33, earned a rare distinction of becoming an Ironman 70.3 finisher, after completing 1.9km open water swim, 90kms cycling and 21.1 kms run at the Ironman 70.3 Goa.

He finished the demanding race that saw close to 1200 participants from all over the globe.

You may wonder how he managed this feat, despite leading a hectic public life. Well, by his own admission, "It was quite challenging."

He explained, "Over the last four months, I have been training to participate and complete the Ironman 70.3 triathlon, which is regarded as the ultimate test of endurance, mental and physical fitness. It was quite a challenge to train with all the travel related to work, but so many people who are busier than me, much older than me, with more pressing schedules than me were doing it and that gave me energy, and mental strength."

He had previously participated as part of a relay team in 2022 where he completed 90kms of cycling. Two years hence, he has outdone himself as he completed the entire distance comprising a total of 113kms.

Mind over matter

To earn an Ironman 70.3 finisher's medal, Tejasvi had to complete the race within a stipulated time of eight and a half hours under challenging conditions.

“Ironman is considered to be the epitome, the peak of endurance, fitness. It's basically a sport that tests your mental strength because, at the end it is just about mind over matter. I wanted to take up the challenge for so many years now. My friends and my team pushed me to do this and when our Prime Minister Narendra Modi started the Fit India movement and encouraged the entire country, and especially youth of India to be physically fit, it was just something that I had to do. It gave me a new sense of purpose,” he revealed his motivation to compete in the Ironman 70.3 Goa.

The 33-year-old completed the 1.9km swim in 57:24 minutes, he tackled the tough 90km cycling route in 4:06:41 hours and ran the half marathon in 2:56:30 hours.

“I'm so happy that I could finish the race and earn the finisher title. The last 20-30 minutes when I was cutting close to the finish time, it was just the fact that I wanted to do this and dedicate this to Modi ji, that just kept pushing me. So, thank you and let's all resolve to be strong and fit,” Tejasvi emphasised after the race.

Congratulating Tejasvi on his commendable feat, Deepak Raj, Founder & CEO of Yoska and Race Director of Ironman 70.3 Goa, who is a 27-time full-distance Ironman himself, remarked: "Tejasvi has inspired so many people to take the first step towards health and fitness. His dedication to training, despite a hectic work schedule is commendable. He has gone through rigorous training routines to improve his endurance cycling, swimming and distance running. This shows his discipline and mental toughness. A Member of Parliament finishing the Ironman 70.3, despite leading a challenging work life, is an inspiration to all of us. As the organisers of Ironman 70.3 Goa, we strongly believe in PM Modi's Fit India Movement and the Ironman 70.3 Goa is our humble contribution of encouraging everyone to take that first step towards a healthier lifestyle."