Many of us looked forward to 2020 as the year we finally fulfil our dreams and goals. The beginning of a new decade posed us with an opportunity to start afresh and very basically, get things done. Enter Coronavirus pandemic – one after another, various aspects of our lives started being pulled apart, forcing us to let go of our aims.
Harshvardhan Joshi, however, is one man that moulded his dream to be able to actualise it in 2020. A mountaineer from Vasai, Maharastra, Harshvardhan always dreamt of climbing the Mount Everest and even trained vigorously for it. As the expedition got called off due to the lockdown, he decided to place his focus on becoming an Ironman (not the Marvel superhero that came to your mind) — a competitor in the Ironman Triathlons that comprises of swimming, bicycle riding and a marathon.
True to 2020 fashion, the triathlon, too, was called off. While Harshvardhan could have accepted it as a sign to stop there, he went the unexpected route and organised a solo triathlon for himself! It was bound by the same rules and time restrictions as the Ironman triathlon to make it feel all the more real. He completed the 1.9 km swim, 90 km bicycle ride and 21.1 km run in 7 hours and 53 minutes, which included his transition times from one discipline to another.
As he made his way through the self-organised triathlon on World Mental Health day (10 October), Harshvardhan managed to enlighten us with the fact that no matter how unattainable our goals (however big or small) may seem this year, it is our job to make them happen.
For that little extra dash of inspiration, watch the 12-minute documentary of his triathlon organisation, training and completion.
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