The story of a Singapore triathlete's relentelss pursuit of conquering the IRONMAN triathlon, a dream born long ago
"Chasing the Iron Dream" delves into Kharshan Kumar's relentless pursuit of conquering an IRONMAN triathlon.
It's a narrative that goes beyond mere athleticism, revealing how this ambitious pursuit has reshaped his life and taught him invaluable lessons about strength, determination, and the unwavering support of those around him.
The film is a testament to the transformative power of chasing dreams with a gritty, firsthand look at what unfolds when one dares to pursue the seemingly impossible.
We hope this inspires many to tackle huge and unrealistic goals. Whatever background or conditions you have, if you work hard enough, you'll get to where you want to be.
Everyone gets handed a different set of cards in life but winning is about how you play the game with what you have. The iron dream is accomplished, but the chase never ends.
Below is the film's transcript, as spoken by Kharshan Kumar and documented through the lens of the team.
I was always curious about what a human body could possibly do. I found myself drawn to its untapped potential. And what unfolded next was a series of challenges, achievements, self-discovery and all in the backdrop of IRONMAN training.
I was always curious how I could push myself physically and mentally, and that was because of endurance camps that I had in Boys Brigade while I was in secondary school. Everytime I thought that I couldn't do something that they told me to do, I did it eventually. That just sparked the curiosity in me on what more I could possibly do.
So I was fifteen at that point. It was during a time where I saw this video of these two women crawling pass the finish line at Ironman Kona and I told myself that I would do an IRONMAN I meant before I was twenty-five, but I didn't do anything about it until I was twenty-one.
It actually started when I was in the Army. So I was in my twenties and I had a knee injury and a knee injury, restricted me from doing basic things like running. And that was extremely depressing for me. That was when I remembered that I had my IRONMAN goal and that was when I finally decided to take action towards it.
So starting out IRONMAN training felt very foreign. I didn't know anyone around me doing it, let alone my age group. I didn't even know that there were triathlon communities in Singapore. I was clear on what I wanted to do from the start, but few people around me actually understood the magnitude of the goal.
All I knew in my mind was that I wanted to explore my physical and mental limits as well as get the bragging rights of being called an IRONMAN.
As a journey went along the reasons behind doing the IRONMAN constantly evolved.
So these were the different stages throughout my IRONMAN journey. In 2021, it was filled with back to back injuries, so there was almost no consistent training. 2022 was when I focused more on the endurance part of things and I did my first ever Olympic distance triathlon, followed by my first ever full marathon.
2023 was when I realised that this is a year where I could become an IRONMAN and the next ten months was just a rollercoaster.
Triathlon prep at the start of the year was actually very mentally draining. I was self-coached for most of it, and I had to come up with training plans based on what I learned online as well as from friends. This was while I was still studying and was also trying to create content to grow my personal brand. Things took a turn when I started my full IRONMAN training in June.
Everyone I asked who has done an IRONMAN before said that the training was more intense than the race itself, and I didn't really understand this until I was in the training. The past four months was just filled with many hours of swimming, cycling and running.
At times it felt very mindless and I just felt like I was doing it for the sake of doing it. But that was when I realised the idea of delayed gratification. The results of the efforts that I was putting it during training would only surface much later.
So that was what the four months looked like all the way up until the race. That was the point where I could see the end to all the hard work and training that I was putting in. That was the day I became an IRONMAN.
So after almost two years of triathlon training and four months of focused prep. Today is finally the day that we are going to do the IRONMAN triathlon.
As I mentioned earlier, the reasons of doing the IRONMAN constantly evolved. I wanted the physical fitness, the mental fitness and the discipline of what it takes to become an IRONMAN. But more importantly, the reasons of why I wanted to do an IRONMAN were bigger than just myself. It was about the people around me.