Hyderabad: Over 1,700 people participated in the 6th edition of the Hyderabad Triathlon on Sunday. The event was held at two locations in the Twin Cities with nine categories.
While a majority of the events, which included the triathlon categories like ¾ Iron, Olympic and sprint levels, took place at Gachibowli stadium, the half Iron event started from the ICFAI campus at Shankarpally.
The triathlon involved swimming, cycling and running, one after the other, in a sequence while the duathlon event included running, cycling and running in that order. There was also a mini version of triathlon and duathlon targeted at children aged five and above.
Friends on cycle: Two young girls cycling while participating in the Novice Duathlon.
Over the past six years, the Hyderabad Triathlon has evolved into India’s biggest open triathlon event, attracting the country’s top triathletes.
The toughest challenge was the ¾ Iron wherein professional athletes swam 2.9 km, cycled 135 km, and then ran 31 km, which took them a good part of the day.
Organised by the Great Hyderabad Adventure Club, the event saw participation from different age groups, starting with five-year-old kids to veterans like 75-year-old Mr Laxman Rao.
He has participated in all editions of the triathlon till date. “We have seen not just a substantial jump in the number of participants — from 1,000 to 1,700 — but in also the quality of their performance,” said event director Deepam Morparia.
Winning in water: A participant swims as part of the Triathlon event. (Photo: DC)
Diyanat Ali, founder-director of GHAC, said, “We also had to ensure proper safety and support measures which included ambulances, doctors and first-aid stations as the route for the tougher levels went beyond Chevella.”
The triathlon would see addition of the full Iron triathlon next year, making it to an international level distance of the Iron category.
All about Triathlon
What is it: Triathlon is an athletic contest consisting of three different events, typically swimming, cycling, and long-distance running. Duathlon consists of cycling and running.
How is it different
Triathletes often use their legs less vigorously than other swimmers so as to conserve their leg muscles for cycling and running.
Triathlon categories
Participants in triathlon often use the sport to improve or maintain their physical fitness as training for a triathlon provides cardiovascular exercise benefits.
Triathlon races have been categorised on the basis of the distances they cover. Following are the categories.
