From IT to endurance events, Deepak dreams of a fitter India through Chennai Triathlon, IRONMAN

Deepak Raj’s life has been one of contrasts. The man, whose daily life now involves a lot of running and organising endurance events across India, began his professional life at the desk, working as an IT professional.

Cut to 13 years later, his life is far removed from what a desk job usually entails.

​Deepak, race director at the 5i50 (51.50km) Chennai Triathlon and IRONMAN India, played a pivotal role in bringing the event to India. At the event, Sportstar caught up with him and he spoke on India’s growing culture in endurance sports and the challenges in bringing events to new cities.

Q. The event is officially named the 5i50 Triathlon Chennai, but the swimming leg had to be cancelled, effectively making it a duathlon. Why so?

​The tide is too strong because of the cyclone effect, because of which the sea is rough. We couldn’t lay the course, and it wasn’t safe for people to swim at all. So, we had to think of an alternative.

We always have contingency plans in any race. In this case, we decided on Saturday morning and regrouped people. We knew that the conditions were not going to dramatically change, and that ended up being the case. It’s been like that for the past four to five days.

The 51.50km triathlon traditionally starts with a 1.5km swim, followed by 40km cycling, and ends with a 10km run. The 1.5 km swim was substituted for a 5 km run. Unfortunately, the participants did not experience a proper triathlon.

Q. As someone who has been in the field for a long time, how would you suggest people start preparing for events like this?

There are other smaller races, like a sprint distance, which is half of the 51.50km. So that’s also an option for people to look at, but most people come with a cycling or running background. So the 40-kilometre cycling and the 10-kilometre running are sort of doable.

I think the important thing is to give yourself a few months. If swimming is not your forte, put more effort into it, because that takes longer to get used to. Cycling is one of the easier ones to pick up and running, I feel, if you give yourself a few months, you will be alright.

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Q. How is the endurance sports culture in India? And what can be done to improve that and reach international standards?

I feel that in the early 2000s, people started to pick up running. There were maybe just one or two marathons in India, and now there are marathons and half-marathons almost every week in different cities. So that’s changing.

People are taking up cycling. They are doing it in groups, which is known as social cycling. Triathlon as a lifestyle is also picking up. So overall, fitness is growing and catching on in India.

We are a large country and, in most cases, cycling on the streets is not easy. A lot of people are cycling only on weekends or resorting to indoor cycling. So those things may take time to change, or we just have to adapt and say that this is how it will be. We will have to cycle indoors more for proper training.

Compared to other developed countries, our participation level in triathlons is still in the nascent stage, but the kind of growth we’re getting is still high. We have had 1300 people do our Ironman in Goa, but yes, we’ll still be playing catch-up with quite a few countries, given the head start they’ve had.

Q. What were the major challenges that you faced in bringing the 51.50km triathlon to India?

I think whenever we go to a new place, understanding and charting the course is the most important and challenging aspect. We have obviously received a lot of support from the government, but a lot of planning goes into making sure that the roads are closed at a certain time.

We have to create alternate roads so that no one’s daily life gets disrupted. Basically, there are a lot of phone calls with various government departments, and rigorous planning goes into organising an event of this magnitude.

The race is being held today, but our first meeting to discuss the Chennai triathlon was held three years ago. It has been a long road, but after a lot of planning and the government’s support, we are here today.

Q. This is India’s inaugural 51.50km triathlon. What are the plans for the future editions? Do you aim to host one every year?​

Yes, Chennai will host a 51.50km race every year. We have a multi-year partnership with the State Government.

Thanks to the support from the government and the sports department. It is the same with Ironman. We received a multi-year contract, and at some stage, we hope to convert or add a 70.3km Ironman in Chennai.

Q. With the 51.50km coming to India, which is known as a stepping stone towards the 70.3m Ironman, will we have more participants for the latter in the coming years?

Absolutely, I think looking at the crowd, which has a lot of first timers, this is a good entry point. The 70.3km Ironman that we do in Goa is a large race in terms of distance and people.

The 51.50km is something that people could take up as a starting point. We also did a duathlon, so, in case one’s swimming is not yet up to the mark, they can try out for that.

Published on Jan 11, 2026