24 Sep Age, Adversity and Ironman: Rich’s Unstoppable Journey
Ruchir Gupta, affectionally known as “Rich” joined our club at the start of 2024 with big goals and a strong desire to achieve them. His journey so far is nothing short of zero to hero (though he is striving for even bigger goals), and I hope his story will encourage all who might be hesitant to try the sport of Triathlon.
Below is a short write-up from Rich:
I’m not sure if I’m chasing a dream or if the dream is chasing me.
I first learned about Ironman 15 years ago when I moved to Cebu to work for Timex. Initially, I had little interest in triathlons. However, before I turned 40 in 2014, I had a rather naive thought: why not attempt a 70.3 with just 10 months of preparation, starting from scratch? At that time, I couldn’t even run 5 kilometers.
Determined, I began running and completed a 21K in May 2016. In August 2017, I joined a relay team for the Cebu 70.3, focusing on the swim leg. I started training with a coach to improve my swimming skills.
Unfortunately, life took an unexpected turn when I had to leave Cebu in April, which meant I couldn’t participate in the relay. After moving to Bangalore, then Manila, I finally landed in Singapore in December 2020, right in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, I lost all the progress I had made in both running and swimming.
In 2021, I contracted COVID-19 and managed to recover, but it took me six months to realize that I had developed severe diabetes as a result. For six months post-recovery, I struggled to run even 1,000 meters continuously.
Determined not to rely on medication, I started running and practicing intermittent fasting in June 2022. While the idea of completing an Ironman seemed like a possibility, it didn’t feel like a realistic goal due to the time and cost involved. To aid my recovery, I purchased a Decathlon bike and completed the Singapore Marathon in both 2022 and 2023.
Then I met Ebbie, who introduced me to MetaSport, and I signed up for their events. Donna encouraged me to aim for the Metasprint Series in May, assuring me, “Fiona can help you get ready for the swim.” At that point, I could barely swim one lap without getting out of breath.
On the first day of training, Coach Wille told me that completing an Ironman in one year was unrealistic. I was determined to prove him wrong, though I realize now that I was a bit naïve. I had upgraded my Trifactor Sprint to an Olympic Distance to celebrate my 50th birthday, but the event was modified unexpectedly.
Now, I plan to participate in a couple of 5150 events and may target the Desaru 70.3 next year.
My ultimate dream remains to finish the Cebu Ironman just once. My goals have evolved to include continuing to participate in half Ironman events and traveling to different locations, as long as my body allows me to keep going.
