Come the last few months of the year, weight loss and diet top the New Year resolution for many and are the most-searched topics on the Internet. But losing weight is a tough journey that needs utmost discipline with the ability to say no to your favourite food. It takes months, if not years, of dedication to reach the desired result. And if you are part of the police force, then staying fit becomes the mantra of your life.
Here is an inspiring story of Shrishail Byakod, a 38-year-old circle police inspector attached to the Ghataprabha police station in Belagavi’s Gokak taluk, who became the first Man in Khaki from Karnataka to win a Half Ironman Triathlon event. A Half Ironman is just over double the distance of an Olympic distance triathlon and includes a 1.9 km swim, 90-km cycling and 21.1 km of running.
But success didn’t come to Shrishail on a silver platter as his body weight acted as a barrier.After clocking 102 kg on the weighing scale in 2014, he realised the importance of health and then began his fitness journey. It was during the same time that a few of his well-wishers, including his wife Smita, advised him to practice a healthy life. He initially started dieting and later joined a gym and gradually started running, swimming, cycling and playing lawn tennis.
In the Half Ironman Triathlon competition held in Kolhapur on October 1, Shrishail was set a deadline to complete swimming, cycling, and running under 10 hours. But he completed them all in just 6 hours and 39 minutes. He swam 1.9 km in 52 min 48 sec, 90 km of cycling in 2 hours 57 minutes and 21 km of running in 2 hours and 28 minutes, and entered the Forever Star Book of World Records.
“From 102 kg in 2014, I dropped to 96 kg in 2019 and now I am 75 kg. It is not any magic. I just followed a healthy lifestyle. It happened only when I realised nothing is more important than health when I was 35,” he told The New Sunday Express.
Shrishail says that each day he sets aside 3-4 hours for his fitness. Twice a week he concentrates on swimming, while two days each for cycling and running. He has been following a strict diet under the guidance of his wife, which includes food with less oil, green vegetables, fruits, and oats.
He says, “I want to say that everyone should give more importance to health than money. If you are fit, then you will have everything. Each person should and must contribute time for his or her physical fitness.”
Shrishail says the Half Iron Triathlon in Kolhapur was the first competition he ever participated in and he is happy to fetch a gold medal. He says he knew that he needed a lot of stamina for the competition and he concentrated on playing tennis which boosts stamina, he said.
Shrishail is the first Karnataka police personnel to win the gold in the competition. Now, he is planning to participate in the international Iron Man to be held in Kazakhstan in August 2023. Shrishail, who received the Chief Minister’s Medal for his service in 2019, has been creating awareness on the importance of health and fitness. Because of his efforts, even the other police staff at Ghataprabha police station have started seriously concentrating on fitness.
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