Arun Krishnan: Ironman at 67!

Arun Krishnan is India’s oldest Ironman, having completed the tough triathlon in Cairns, Australia recently. He tells us his extraordinary journey on the Ironman trail.

Chennai resident Arun Krishnan, 67, is India’s oldest Ironman. And although unlike the comic superhero, he doesn’t have an armoured suit, what he has in abundance is stamina, perseverance and the courage to take on a challenge, however daunting. It’s what helped him complete the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship in Cairns, Australia this June. Arun clocked a time of 16 hours, 27 minute and 35 seconds, braving two metre waves, a bicycle that gave him problems and painful cramps in his leg.

The Ironman is a triathlon that includes a 3.8 km swim in the open sea,180 km of cycling and a 42 km run. Arun, who took up running in 1987, trained for six months and completed the Ironman challenge with two minutes and 25 seconds to spare before the cut off time.

An Epic Finish

Arun with the Tricolour, his wife and Nick, the volunteer who encouraged him.

In fact, Arun’s Ironman finish was an epic one (as Australian news channels described it), with the entire crowd cheering him on, volunteers keeping pace with him and motivating him not to give up as he narrowly managed to make it inside the cut-off time. Arun has run marathons all over the world but felt the Cairns Ironman was his most challenging ever. “It was both exciting and daunting,” is how he describes the experience of a lifetime. “The sea was rough with swells as high as two metres and it was quite challenging to swim.” In fact, there were moments when Arun wondered if it was possible to survive the swim!

His persevered in the next leg despite a clanging sound coming from his bicycle and lost valuable time. “It was very stressful. I tried to relieve the leg cramps with bananas and fluid.” However, he marshalled all his resources, determined not to lose out. “The threat of being bumped off if I did not make the cut off on time, made me feel that I could not have come all the way and not finished.”

The last few miles were an experience he will always remember. “The support from the people of Cairns and the volunteers was amazing. Also the moments when the announcer says your name and mentions India kept me going. One volunteer, Nick, kept pace with me, informing me of the time to be made up before the next intermediate cut off timing mat,” he says, still a bit overwhelmed by it all. In fact, he was the last finisher and the volunteers created an arch to welcome him as he crossed the finishing line. “It was exhilarating running the last few kilometres, despite the pain,” he sums up. 

After finishing the tough open sea swim

Running Past 60

Arun is an engineer who diversified into business and calls himself semi-retired. Always associated with sports, he was the captain of his college swimming team and rowed with the Madras Boat Club. His love for running stemmed from there as all oarsmen at the club were encouraged to run around the block. He ran the Pune Marathon in 1987 and since then has gone on to run marathons in Singapore, Paris, Chicago, Berlin and Tokyo, apart from marathons in India.

He has also participated in a half Ironman in Austria and one organised in Chennai earlier.

Arun took to triathlons when his knee problems began. “I started slowing down due to wear and tear of my knees,” he says. In fact, he was advised by the doctor not just to avoid running but also avoid climb stairs! He decided to strengthen his knees instead with simple exercises and also used alternative therapies like Ayurveda, which helped. He also kept his weight in check and believes it “pays to be lean.”

Arun adhered to the Ironman 24 week training program while preparing for the challenge. He calls the Ironman a lonely sport — the training tends to keep one away from social life — and thanks his wife for being the source of support she has been once she realised his passion for the sport.

His routine while training is simple. He doesn’t drink or smoke and goes to bed early.

He follows something he learnt while training to be a scuba diver. “Plan your dive and dive your plan. It helps to plan these things and stick to it.”

Though he never saw himself running after 60 when he finished his first marathon at the age of 37, Arun says that he has no plans of calling it quits now. In fact, he plans to motivate and train other youngsters to take up sports and already trains people who wish to run with his group Chennai Runners.

“I hope to end by being the oldest Ironman,” he says, mentioning inspirations like Fauja Singh, the centenarian marathoner and Ed Whitlock, the first person over 70 to run a marathon in less than three hours. Given the power of his mind and his positive spirit, we have no doubt that Arun Krishnan will complete his dream soon.

Reaching the finish line

With many people over 60 taking to running and other forms of fitness activities, we asked Arun for some guidelines. Here’s his take:

* It is fairly easy to train. If one has the desire one can always train and build up endurance.

* Eat healthy and avoid anything white like sugar or polished rice or excess of salt. Try millets instead of polished rice and exercise to stay healthy. Try to meditate. 

* Keep the mind active & challenged with games like Bridge or Sudoku.

* If you wish to run a marathon,  there are free training plans on the internet that you can follow.

* Yoga Asanas are recommended for agility and flexibility.

* Running is a high impact sport. Whatever you choose to pursue, check with your doctor and get a clearance first.

All photographs courtesy Arun Krishnan