City bureaucrat completes Ironman and Ocean man races in one week

BENGALURU: Young bureaucrat Shreyas G Hosur, who scripted history by becoming the first railway officer to complete the world’s toughest endurance race, has now touched another personal high: He has become the first civil servant to conquer both Ironman and Oceanman titles. Shreyas, 35, who heads the finance wing of the Bengaluru division of Indian Railways and is son of former IPS officer Gopal Hosur, achieved the daring feat in a span of one week in Kazakhstan, which hosted the Ironman Triathlon and the Oceanman open-water swimming race.He completed the Ironman 140.6 event consisting of 3.8km of swimming, 180km cycling and 42.2km running in 15 hours and 35 minutes at Astana on July 2. Not giving his body and mind any rest, he participated in the Oceanman series at Almaty-Kapchagay and completed the 5km swimming event in 1 hour and 35 minutes. Speaking to STOI from Kazaksthan, Shreyas said: “I had challenged my body and mind, I am extremely happy that I did it for my country.”But isn’t it tough to push oneself to complete two high-stamina races within one week? Shreyas said: “After completing the gruelling Ironman Triathlon in Germany’s Hamburg last year, I knew I had set a benchmark for myself and was thinking how do I challenge myself more. While researching, I found that both the Ironman Triathlon and Oceanman series (largest open-water swimming competition) were being held in Kazakhstan within a short gap. The biggest challenge was preparing my body and mind for both these high-endurance events.”Shreyas, who was in a demanding job, decided to train intensively for over six months. With meticulous planning, he focused on achieving balanced body weight, simulating the body to extreme conditions and working on recovery time, while making himself mentally stronger. “There were times when I used to return home late at night but would be up training the next morning. I am grateful to my wife Divya Hosur (also a bureaucrat) for being very supportive,” he said.In fact, in the run-up to the race too he had factored in all extremities, including the temperature in Kazakhstan. “During the triathlon, the temperature touched a whopping 34 degrees Celsius,” he said. Immediately, after the triathlon, he moved to Almaty-Kapchagay for the Oceanman series where the event day was marred by a storm, which forced the organisers to reduce the distance of the swim from 10 to 5km in the sea. “I had actually prepared for the 10km swim,” he said.Asked what’s next for someone who has finished both the races, Shreyas said: “I want to come back to Bengaluru and just chill. I have not thought of what to aim for next. The hunger to challenge the mind and body is strong, let us see.”