Rajesh Dhar
JAMMU, Mar 11: Ace athlete of the State, 44-year old Jammu man Kapil Arora, after blossoming in South Africa, many a time, in various adventurous events including the most gruelling and the oldest ultra marathon in the world namely ‘Comrades Marathon’ for four consecutive years earlier, besides marathon at Thailand in Indonesia and prestigious Ironman Championship held at Rio de Janeiro, the Capital of Brazil, has onces again sparkled and kept his State’s/Country’s Flag high by doing miracles in a mega event at Auckland in New Zealand.
This was Kapil’s third outing in this prestigious Championship and completed it with flying colours.
The son of the soil, Kapil had earlier in 2018 completed 1.9 kilometers swimming in ocean, 90 kilometers cycling and 21 kilometers run on foot in 7 hours, 9 minutes and 45 seconds at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, but this time, it was a double delight for him, Indians and especially Jammuites as he completed 3.8 kilometers swimming in ocean, 180 kilometers cycling and 42.2 kilometers run on foot in 14 hours, 59 minutes and 23 seconds, simply double the distance of ultra marathons held earlier as for as swimming, running and riding is concerned.
“It is always an uphill task to complete such a huge distance in 14 hours. I am proud of my son, who makes me to feel ecstatic,” said Kapil’s proud father on the achievements of his son while talking to EXCELSIOR.
Kapil Arora, son of MK Arora (Surveyor & Loss Assessor and Bank Valuer) and Rita Arora (House Wife), belongs to Trikuta Nagar, Jammu, and is presently working as Segment Head in Mumbai based Company Reliance Mutual Fund.
He had started running around 13 years back when he met his coach and national level athlete, Brinston Miranda and started training along with his corporate life, which included a 12 years working with corporate like ICICI Bank and Reliance Mutual Fund, with which he is still working.
Talking to Excelsior, Kapil said that the Comrades Marathon/Ironman Championship is a unique event as it involves three events-swimming, cycling and running, adding that it takes nerves to swim, run and ride at a stretch for hours together, without any break.
Till date, he has completed 5 ultra marathons and 10 full marathons including an international one at Athens (Greece), with best marathon time being 3.41 hours.
There are 22 half marathons also in his name, with best half marathon time being 1.38 hours in 2015.
In Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2016, he was nominated as the fastest pace settler (1.45 hours). Besides, he also successfully completed PNB MetLife Satara Hill Half Marathon 2015, which set a new record for the Guinness World Records title.
“Running very long distances is always an uphill task, but it is very much satisfactory when you complete these distances successfully. I feel good when I run and I feel blissful when I reach the finishing line,” said Kapil in his telephonic conversation with EXCELSIOR.
He attributed his success to his coach, parents and his sheer-dint of hard work.
On his preparation to compete in such big events, Kapil said, he had to counter the hot and humid Mumbai climate as he used to start running from 2 am at night to 8 am in the morning each day.
“Sleep deprivation, extreme exhaustion, running on hills all night for 50-52 km was a difficult task but nothing could stop me from preparing for my mission”, he added.
Earlier, Kapil had been the star of ‘Comrades Marathon’, which is dubbed as the Ultimate Human Race, an annual ultra marathon event between two towns of Durban and Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. However, the event at Auckland is the first of its kind as far as the distance in swimming, running and riding is concerned.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
