Jamshedpur: 69-year-old Seraikela sexagenarian huffing and puffing for Half Ironman event in Kolhapur

Achinto Pramanik to test his endurance in swimming, cycling and half marathon

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, June 15: Achinto Pramanik is huffing and puffing to make a mark in an upcoming event in Kolhapur, Maharashtra.

Having been forced to miss the Ironman 70.3 race to be held in Goa in November, the sexagenarian is looking forward to the KSC Triathlon & Duathlon 2022 (Half Ironman), which is scheduled in Kolhapur on October 2. He will compete in the 65-plus age category

Gamharia (Seraikela-Kharsawan) resident Pramanik, who turns 70 next month, is sweating it out for the Kolhapur meet, one of India’s endurance events. Half Ironman comprises 1.9 Km swim, 90 Km cycling and a 21 Km run. But Pramanik has laced his thoughts with lots of positivity and, notwithstanding his age, seems determined to do well.

“It’s a hard competition but I am gearing up. I swim for 40 minutes in a lake near my home and run for around two hours. I cover around 40 km while cycling. I will slowly increase my workout. There will be little rest in between since all the three events have to be completed within 9 hours,” Pramanik said, adding he does running and cycling on alternate days.

He informed  he was worried about the condition of his racing cycle. “My racing cycle is not in a very good shape. Still I would compete since it has always been my dream to participate in Half Ironman events. I would try to borrow a racing cycle from some participant in Kolhapur,”he added.

Shedding light on the rules governing the Kolhapur event, Pramanik said one-and-a-half hours is allotted for swimming, 5 hours for cycling and two-and-a-half hours for half marathon (21 km). All the three disciplines need to be completed within the allotted time frame,” he informed.

According to him, he was forced to miss the Goa Ironman  70.3 owing to the financial crisis. “I was not able to afford Rs 56,000 as entry fee for the Goa event. It is Rs 10,000 for the Half Ironman in Kolhapur. I have already sent the entry fee,”Pramanik, who runs a grocery shop near his home, said.  

He missed a chance to represent India at the World Masters Athletics Championship in Lyon, France held in August 2015. He managed to send an entry to participate in the 2000m steeplechase, but could not afford the trip as Rs 1.5 lakh was needed to go to France.

The Masters Athletics Federation of India doesn’t sponsor athletes for international competitions.

He has won one gold (200m steeplechase), one silver (800m), and a bronze (1500m) at the national event held in Panjim, Goa in 2015. He also bagged three gold medals (200m steeplechase, 800 m and 1500 m) and a silver medal (4×400 m relay) at the national meet held in Hyderabad in 2017.

Pramanik won the second slot in the 65 years and above age category at the fifth edition of the Tata Steel Kolkata 25k run-a-thon in December, 2018. Pramanik also finished second, behind Singapore’s Peter Allen, in the Delhi half-marathon (21 km) by clocking 1 hr 51 minutes. The event was held virtually in November 2020.