Major General V D Dogra has become the first Indian Army officer to complete the Ironman challenge and Triathlon event, considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world, in Austria, the army has claimed.
Ironman Challenge – A First from the Indian Army
“He is the only serving army officer from the Indian Army to have done a full Ironman and the only General across the globe to have done so,” Army spokesperson Col. Aman Anand said.
The competitors have to complete the events in sequence within 17 hours to earn the title of ‘Ironman’.
Ironman Austria was held in the scenic town of Klagenfurt and over 3000 athletes participated in the event. Major General VD Dogra completed the Full Ironman challenge at Klagenfurt in 14 hours and 21 minutes.
The General has been a Sword of Honour and Gold Medalist of the December 1981 batch. He was commissioned in the Poona Horse (an armoured regiment), which he later commanded. He has also commanded an Armoured Brigade on the western front with Pakistan and an Infantry Division in a Strike Corps.
Maj Gen Dogra is currently DG Resettlement.
Major General Vikram Dogra of 17 Poona Horse globally became the first General to participate & successfully complete #Ironman, Austria on 1 Jul 2018 which included 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km of cycling & 42.2 km running. 2850 athletes from 50 countries participated in the event pic.twitter.com/inDWWUsCVw
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) July 3, 2018
Maj Gen Vikram Dogra , 59 NDA , finishing the Ironman competition in 14 hrs 21 min. First General in the world to do so. 👏👏👏
It includes
3.8 Km of swimming ,
180 Km of cycling and
42.2 Km of running one after the other.
Max permissible time to complete 17 hrs. Jai Hind ! pic.twitter.com/Esl6dBDHpK— nikunj shah 🇮🇳 (@niku1630) July 3, 2018
Ironman – Gen Vikram Dogra doing the swimming leg.
Video courtesy Shabnam. pic.twitter.com/qTYjGuSUtZ— Anil Talwar (@aniltalwar2) July 2, 2018
What is the Ironman Challenge?
An extreme challenge for the supremely fit, the Ironman Triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile (3.9-kilometer) swim, a 112-mile (180-kilometer) bike ride and a 26.2-mile (42.1-kilometer) run.
It’s been said that just finishing is a victory! The World Triathlon Corporation organizes Ironman Triathlon events held around the world throughout the year.
The idea for the Ironman began as a challenge among a group of Navy SEALs who debated which sport was more physically demanding, running or swimming.
The first Ironman was born in Hawaii in Feb. 18, 1978, when California triathletes John and Judy Collins organized the first endurance triathlon.
The Hawaiian Iron Triathlon was a swim/bike/run event around the island of Oahu. The course revolved around the 2.4-mile Waikiki Roughwater Swim, about 112 miles (180 kilometers) of the 115-mile (185-kilometer) Round Oahu Bike Course and the 26.2-mile Honolulu Marathon.
Whoever finishes first we’ll call the Ironman, and the Ironman triathlon has been one of the world’s most popular endurance events ever since.
Not only is the distance grueling, there’s a time limit for each segment. Most Ironman events allow participants 17 hours to complete all three legs of the race.
The event begins at 7 a.m. The swim must be complete in 2 hours and 20 minutes; the bike ride must be done by 5:30 p.m.; and the marathon must be finished by midnight.
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