Meet Chennai’s very own Ironman

That inspirational person is Anil Sharma, loving husband and father with a regular office job, running/swimming/cycling enthusiast, and founder of local running group, Vibrant Velachery. The 47-year-old has successfully completed the arduous task involving a 3.8-km swim, a 180.2-km cycle ride and 42.2-km run — raced in that order without a break — in both 2013 and 2014, as well as finished four half-Ironman events!

“I started getting serious about my passion for fitness around five to six years ago — I’d met the Chennai Runners team and was determined to make something out of it. I would often wonder why people didn’t take a more active interest in fitness,” says Anil.

And so he began his quest — but it wasn’t with any professional training or expertise — all of Anil’s skills came from his upbringing! “I grew up in a village where I ran barefoot on the roads. Even as a kid, I’d always loved to swim — wherever I travelled, just the mere sight of a canal or a stream would see me jump in without a second thought! My parents really had a tough time! That’s how I learnt. Later also, I practised daily during my stint with the Indian Air Force. ,” he laughs.

Anil says that both the mind and body play equal roles in maintaining such standards. “I’ve seen even extreme athletes struggle at triathlons because, in their mind, they had already given up. We are biological wonders — when our mind sets out to accomplish something, chemical changes occur, urging the body to hit peaks we never thought would be possible. I often tell people asking me to train them — there’s honestly nothing to teach; it’s after all simple running! Maybe a couple of posture

corrections, identifying breath patterns and learning to pace yourself — that’s all,” he puts forth.

But of course, the Iron Man of Madras has kids following in his footsteps! Both of Anil’s children — 21-year-old Nandini and 13-year-old Aditya are also active triathlon enthusiasts, with his son unofficially being the youngest in the country to complete a half-Iron Man, Anil proudly adds.

With Vibrant Velachery, Anil has not just reinvigorated passionate runners, but also uses fitness for a social cause. “Since I’m a major advocate for environmental cleanliness, we organise a clean-up activity every month, and also bring about awareness against use of plastic. The group celebrated its second anniversary recently, and interest is brimming through!,” he shares.

After taking up cycling to his workplace every day, Anil’s aim is now to motivate more corporate employees to ditch their automobiles and start cycling —“It’ll improve their fitness, as well as reduce pollution,” he explains. But he also has a personal goal — one that he’s sure of accomplishing shortly. “My dream is to complete an Ironman Triathlon overseas with both my children! In India, you get more noticed if you achieve something abroad (laughs). I want to make us proud on foreign soil ... and I'm sure it'll happen soon.”