Hiromu Inada at Ironman World Championship in 2018. (Source: mindfulrunning1710/Instagram)Hiromu Inada from Japan already holds the title of the world’s oldest Ironman. But the 87-year-old does not seem to be stopping anytime soon; the enthusiast is sill training on his bike with the hope to continue competing into his 90s.
Inada won the Ironman world championship at the age of 85. Deemed one of the toughest endurance sports events, it requires athletes to swim 3.86 km, bike 180.25 km, and run a full 42.19 km marathon.
The Japanese athlete began swimming and running and bought a bike at the age of 69. He completed his first triathlon a year later. And with his wife’s death soon afterward, Ironman competitions became an obsession for him.
While the 2020 edition of the championship has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Inada maintains his gruelling training schedule with the hope to return to the event in Hawaii in the coming year.
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“I will absolutely participate in it, and I absolutely want to break the world record of completing the race at the oldest age again. This is my current and biggest goal,” the Ironman was quoted as saying. He added, “I have in my mind that I absolutely cannot give up, and I absolutely must complete (Ironman races), otherwise I feel sorry for those who support me.”
The Ironman wakes up at 4:30 am and hits the swimming pool by 6 am. “I hope I can try new things to build my fitness…“I hope I can adjust my physical peak to the postponed race. So, I would rather think it was good that it was delayed,” he further said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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