Ironman Triathlon Competition: Major General VD Dogra Becomes First Serving Indian Army Officer to Complete the Task
Continuously perform: Swimming 3.8 km, cycling180km and running 42.2 km
NEW DELHI: Major General VD Dogra (59th course NDA) became the first serving Indian Army officer and the only General across the world to have completed a gruelling ‘Ironman’ triathlon competition held in Austria on Sunday, army officers said today.
The Ironman is an international triathlon consisting of three consecutive events- 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km cycling and 42.2 km of running (a full marathon). It is considered the toughest one day sporting event in the world. The competitors have to complete the events in sequence within 17 hours to earn the title of ‘Ironman’.
Maj Gen Dogra completed the event in 14 hours and 21 minutes. “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,” said army officers privy to the matter.
The Ironman Austria was held in Klagenfurt on July 1. More than 3000 athletes participated in the event. Maj Gen Dogra, who is currently posted as Director General Resettlement, was one of the participants.
“He has been an avid sportsman all his life. However he started cycling about five years ago. He cycled from Leh to Chandigarh, a distance of 800 kms, in 8 days,” said officers.
He has also cycled from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, Sela Pass to Bumla Pass in Arunachal Pradesh and from Akhnoor to Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir. He has participated in several triathlons which include the Sprint category (500 metres swimming, 20 km cycling and 5 km running), the Olympic category (1500 metres swimming, 40 km cycling, 10 km running), the half Ironman and now the full Ironman.
His efforts drew applause from Congress president Rahul Gandhi as well. In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi saluted General VD Dogra and said that he is an inspiration and role model for all the Indians.
“It takes tremendous will power, discipline & stamina to complete an Ironman triathlon – 3.8 KM swim; 180 KM cycle; 42.2 KM run. Major General Dogra did that, in Austria, in just 14 hrs! He is a role model & inspiration for all Indians. We salute him!,” Gandhi’s tweet read.
Courtesy: ET