Tejasvi Surya

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Ironman 70.3 @ironman70.3goa The morning of race day was filled with excitement and anxiety. I had come to Goa just the previous evening after a week full of travel. The adrenaline rush hadn’t let me sleep too well. But with @shreyas.hosur and my coach @somyarout2806 by my side, it was all reassuring. We assembled at the start line by about 6.30 and the daylight broke, welcoming us all. It promised to be a great day. I was invited on stage to flag off the event along with tennis legend Leander Pace, only adding to the pressure I already was in. We started the swim at 7 AM sharp and the thousand plus participants rushed into the sea. The water was warm but choppy. It was my first swim in the sea and with the salty water repeatedly going into my eyes, I struggled to get into a rhythm at the start. But in a few minutes, I got into a good rhythm and finished strong. I survived a jellyfish sting and some chaffing from the trisuit, but did much better than what I had expected. Though we lost some time at the transition, we hopped onto our bikes and started hurtling down the main roads of Panjim onto the highway, enjoying the initial cloud cover. The Goan humidity was slowly but surely setting in. The two loop course of the 90km distance was rolling with the climbs getting challenging with the steadily increasing temperature and the headwinds. I kept hydrating throughout with gels, salt caps and electrolytes. I hadn’t got to cycle much the last few weeks because of the IT Band injury, but the cycling done at the TOK Sweden helped substantially. Thank you for organising it @chethanram_r I remembered you with gratitude throughout the ride. By the time we finished the ride, the midday sun was testing us. #ironman #Goa #Fitness