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Bitter Truths
Hailing from the remote town of Sankh, in the Sangli district of Maharashtra; the life of an athlete was engrained within Prashant. Abundant access to rivers and lakes where he took every opportunity to swim, paired with the guidance and oversight of his father who taught Physical Education helped mould his passion and discipline for sports, which he carried on to his future endeavours.
While Prashant actively maintained an active lifestyle during his college years, as he started settling into a routine with his career, marriage and children; the passion for sports dissipated into the background. Prashant’s son, Pranit, who started taking up after his father’s drive for sports, was meant to be taking part in a race around the neighbourhood where Prashant decided to run alongside him.
It was at this race that Prashant had to swallow the tough pill of finding out that he could barely run 400 metres at a stretch. This moment though disappointing, motivated him to take the necessary steps to bring himself back to his once-fit self.
Reigniting the Passion
With consistent training, discipline and determination, Prashant managed to haul himself back into an active and sporting lifestyle. Now excelling as a runner, Prashant needed professional coaching to help him stay on track with his fitness routine. Simultaneously, Pranit started requiring coaching as well which then nudged Prashant to take up his coaching all by himself after being told that Pranit needs to be of a certain age to get access to coaches. This need at that time helped in Prashant’s transition into the next chapter of his life.
With a new note of seriousness, Prashant delved deep into the recesses of knowledge regarding the human anatomy, endurance sports and athletic coaching. His efforts in taking up these studies transformed him into the ‘Coach’ he now is. In the pursuit of excellence, Prashant took the initiative to attend a plethora of seminars and webinars centred around Athletic coaching which increased his depth of knowledge in this field tenfolds.
Along with his journey in the educational realm of training, Prashant also tackled the challenge of having a good, balanced diet that is required for his training routine while being a vegetarian. He accredits his successful nutritional meals to his wife, Anita, who provided him with traditional North Karnataka meals that never held him back during his training schedules.
Quest for the Title
Along this journey, Prashant found out about the term ‘Ironman’, which piqued his interest. On learning that this event involves a component of swimming, which was his first ‘love’, his interest grew into a determination to complete it and thus began his tryst with triathlon training.
After rigorous training routines where he immersed himself in putting on his best performance, he participated in an Olympic distance triathlon event in Nagpur, India. This event was a gruelling course involving 1.5 Km of swimming, 40 Km of cycling and 10 Km of running. His discipline and perseverance shone throughout his performance and he managed to clinch the podium position!
Rise of “Team Inspiration”
As his passion for sports and coaching blossomed, he found himself in the midst of multiple like-minded individuals and fitness enthusiasts who requested him to help them along their fitness journeys. Being a good samaritan at heart, he agreed to help them and thus, Team Inspiration was born on 5th December 2020.
In February 2020, Prashant took part in his first official Ironman distance event in Jagannath Puri, Odisha, India where he successfully completed the race. His unwavering sense of sportsmanship was reflected when he himself was on his way to clinch the podium position but helped 2 of his teammates finish the race within the limits of the cutoff time.
The Ironman distance event marked the beginning of a long list of gruesome and challenging events with one of his biggest achievements next being the ‘Hawkman Tri’. It comprised 15 Km of swimming, 400 Km of cycling and 100 Km of running which needed to be completed within a span of 3 days. This event was completed by a mere 2 participants with Prashant being the first to complete it.
Kashmir to Kanyakumari
In December 2022, Prashant set forth on another expedition cycling 3800+ Km from Kashmir to Kanyakumari which was covered within a timespan of 18 days. This expedition allowed Prashant to showcase some of his best endurance skills which included cycling a distance of over 200 Km in a single day.
Being the leader of the team in this expedition, Prashant was tested on his leadership abilities by tackling numerous challenges involving differences in dietary habits, extreme demands on physical endurance, injuries, maintenance of equipment and maintaining the team morale.
Brazil DECAMAN- The Ultimate Test
The most recent event Prashant took part in can be counted as one of his best and most remarkable feats achieved which is the Brazil Ultra Tri 2023. Prashant, in line with his ambitious nature, chose the toughest mode which is the Deca Continuous. It involved a swim of 38 km, 1800 Km cycling and a run of 422 Km which needs to be completed within a span of 13 days. He completed the event within 11 days and secured the 6th position and is the only Indian athlete to both be qualified for and complete this event.
Spreading the Legacy
At present, Prashant is helping more than 40 trainees across the world in their coaching and training routines under the banner of Team Inspiration. The team members range across a spectrum of ages from 20-60 with multiple members securing podium finishes in events like the Satara Hill Half Marathon, Tata Ultra Marathon, etc.
Prashant’s journey is a reminder to all that when you set your heart on something and are passionate about it, there is no ceiling that can contain you within its confines. His discipline, ambition, determination and consistency have carried him to a place that many dream of achieving and he is here to say that there is nothing stopping you from achieving it!
