My Triathlon Experience

I did not know to swim until I turned 21.

Here is my story.

I had a fear of water as a child. This was due to some bad experiences with water. And it was not until my college final year that I recognized I had this fear and decided to overcome it. So, I joined swimming classes in my college and learned to swim.

It was an exhilarating experience to finally overcome the fear of water.

I wanted to test my comfort zone. So I went for mid-sea deep diving as part of the Chennai Trekking Club initiative in 2012 and jumped into the middle of the Bay of Bengal (of course, with safety gears). I was so thrilled with the experience that I went again on a different occasion in the next year.

However, this wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to expand my comfort zone a little a bit more, so I decided to give it a shot at Triathlon. That’s when I signed up for the Chennai Triathlon in 2014. Until then, I was not aware of such a sport. But, the fact that I could participate in it was thrilling (because now I know to swim), and I saw it as an opportunity to push my limits. So, I signed up for one of the most basic tiers available at that time.

Swim - 300m | Cycle - 14km | Run - 2km

I participated in it to not compete with others, but myself. I finished it successfully and was so excited about it. Never bothered to know about the timings or my place at the race. The sheer joy of completing it was too good for me.

And then, in 2016, inspired by some of my friends, I signed up for a Triathlon again; this time, I wanted to push myself a bit more, so I signed up for the next tier.

Swim - 750m | Cycle - 20km | Run - 5km

Although I completed the race, I did not complete it to the best of my abilities. I was too tired towards the end of the event; I had an ankle injury during the first lap of my run, so I walked and completed the rest of the track. Since 2016, many crazy things had happened in my life that Triathlon was not a priority.

As I reflect on this experience, I realize that I am completing 10 years of learning to swim, so I wanted to push myself a bit more and participate in an upcoming Oxford Triathlon in the UK.

This time, my target is slightly above my previous one.

Swim - 1km| Cycle - 35km | Run - 7.5km

I hope I manage to complete it without any injuries this time.