Hitesh started his endurance sports journey with Dr. Amit Samarath in Nagpur in the month of October 2020, three years ago. He had never run more than 6k before that. " After increasing my endurance under the guidance of Amit sir, I ran in couple of half marathons. And then finished my first and only full marathon in Mumbai in 4 hours and 7 minutes this year before starting triathlon training."
About Goa event he said, " In the event in Goa, you have to swim 1.9km in the sea. I never swam in the sea and only had just 3 swimming sessions in open water in Ambazari lake. So, the idea of swimming in the sea was terrifying at first but I had practiced a lot and finished swimming of 1.9km in 42 mins".
Generally, he can run 21 km easily. But in the event after swimming and cycling was done, running started at 11:30 am. It was very hot and sunny in Goa that day. There was not a single cloud and the route had no tree shade till 12:30 PM. So, this was the most difficult half marathon of his life. He finished one of the most difficult races in the world in 7 hours and 12 mins to become Ironman 70.3.
Mahavir Kadam, who is a Government Civil Contractor also completed Ironman Goa 70.3 successfully. This was his first ever Triathlon event. He also learned swimming in last 6 months and trained for cycling and running rigorously. He had done only running events before. He overcame tough weather conditions of heat and humidity in Goa to become Ironman 70.3.