Ironman 70.3 Goa finisher tee shirt was unveiled by, from left, Uday Prakash, Deepak Raj, Rohan Khaunte and Jeff Edwards.
Photo Credits: Narayan Pissurlenkar
PANAJI
The State of Goa is ready to host 1300 participants from across 33 countries for the second edition of Ironman 70.3 Goa, world’s toughest endurance game at Miramar Beach on November 13 at 6.40.
Organised by Yoska, a Bengaluru-based digital platform for health and fitness and strategic partner of Ironman in India, the inaugural edition was held in 2019 in Goa with over 1,100 triathletes participating. “We have ensured that all measures are in place for a successful Ironman 70.3 Goa event, stated Deepak Raj, race director Ironman 70.3 Goa and founder of Yoska.
“The 2022 Ironman 70.3 Goa will offer qualifying slots for the 2023 Ironman World Championship and participants are required to complete a gruelling 1.9 open sea swim, 90 km cycling and 21 kms running within the stipulated eight-and-a-half hours,” said Raj, a leading Ironman athlete himself who has completed 23 Ironman full-distance races and has also represented India at the Ironman World Championships on multiple occasions. Raj was addressing a press conference in Panaji on Wednesday in the presence of Ironman Asia CEO Jeff Edwards, Goa tourism minister Rohan Khaunte and Goa sports minister Govind Gaude along with Uday Prakash, vice-president of Herbalife Nutrition.
“On the race day over 700 volunteers will be deployed apart from eight aid stations and a fully equipped medical station. All the necessary measures are in place to ensure a safe and enjoyable race day this weekend in Goa. The participants have already started arriving in Goa this week and getting acclimatized to the conditions here and getting a sense of the open water swim,” said Raj.
Stating that every department of government of Goa extended their support to ensure the event is a big success and this year’s event is special, Raj added that there are several initiatives to mark the 75th year of independence. “We have promoted women in sports initiative with more than 20 all-women relay teams taking part this year, and for the first time. Also, 90 participants from Army, Navy and Police have been invited to participate in this year's race that marks the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations,” said Raj.
Ironman Asia CEO Jeff Edwards expressed his pleasure to witness the enthusiasm and excitement among the participants as this event returns to India after a two-year gap. “The increasing registrations go to show that the sport is growing in the country,” said Jeff.
The event is powered by Herbalife Nutrition India and its vice president (finance & operations) of Herbalife Nutrition India, Uday Prakash, spoke of the proven track record in supporting endurance sports events around the world.
“For more than 40 years, the company has been helping people around the world to improve their health and well-being through diet and nutrition. Sports nutrition plays a significant role in improving performance and endurance during training and competition. It is essential for professionals and those who routinely practice or train to keep fit to optimize their performance,” stated Prakash.
The first edition of Ironman 70.3 was held in 2019 and is now an annual event. Yoska, the Bengaluru-based digital platform for health and fitness co-founded by Deepak Raj, is working closely with the governments across India to support the health and fitness initiative specialized fitness programmes for corporate giants, who are championing employee wellness.
