Milind Soman took his love for running one step ahead by setting a brand new record, a great one that too. After he successfully completed the Ironman event in 2015, the 51-year-old has now bagged the Ultraman title. He won the title by completing the Ultraman Florida 2017, known as the world's toughest endurance challenge. What makes this record even better is that he is the only participant to have finished the run barefoot.
The endurance test
The Ultraman Florida, which saw participation of five Indian triathletes including Soman, is a multisport endurance challenge which covers a total distance of 517.5km. Spread across three days, it requires that each participant complete a 10 km open water swim, a 423km bike ride, and a 84km ultra-marathon run. It is modelled on the Ultraman World Championships that is held every year in Hawaii where it all originated over 30 years ago.
The first Ultraman Triathlon was organised by Curtis Tyler, Alex Smith, and Conrad Will in 1983, on the island of Hawaii. Tyler was the first race director. In 1992, he handed over the charge to Jane Bockus (who surprisingly has never done a triathlon), only with one condition—there should never be a prize money. Later, versions of the race popped up in different parts of the world. In 1993, an Ultraman was held in Canada, and in the UK in 2011. The Ultraman Florida was launched in 2014.
In the Ultraman Florida, each stage is divided into three stages, spread over three days. The first day is the 10km swim and a 148km bike ride, the second day has 275km bike ride, and the third day is reserved for the ultra run. Due to the length and nature of the event, it is mandatory that a support team of at least two persons and not more than four accompany each athlete throughout all stages of the event.
For the swim, athletes perform a one loop swim in the four interconnected warm, freshwater lakes of the Conway Chain. Stage one of the bike starts from the swim start or finish point. The first ride will head south to the City of St Cloud and ends in Cocoa, Florida at the Lone Cabbage Fish Camp. The second bike ride the next day starts from Cocoa and heads through scenic towns of Christma, Sanford, Mount Dora and through the 'Gems of the Hills' of Clermont. While most of Florida has a flat terrain, Clermont is known for its hilly terrain which makes the ride all the more challenging. The ride ends in Oakland, a 100-year-old historic town in the heart of Central Florida.
The ultrarun starts from South Lake Trail in Clermont and ends in the beautiful town of Windermere, Florida, known for its lakes and canopy of ancient oak trees. The run course changes from flat to rolling hills with a mix of asphalt and dirt road.
When Tyler and his friends designed the race, they wanted it to be, not just a celebration of personal endurance, but also a mix of ancient Hawaiian principles of aloha (love), ohana (family), and kokua (help). Sticking to the roots, the Ultraman Florida, too, is a experience of camaraderie and 'a journey that will create memories that last a lifetime'.
