Renee Noronha, 21, Chasing Ironman World Record. Price To Reach Rs Is 10 Lakh For One Race

Renee Noronha learnt to swim from scratch at 16. Two years later, she completed her first Ironman. Now, with four continents behind her and two still to go, she is chasing a record in endurance sport. Finding the money to get there remains one of her biggest challenges. An Ironman combines a 3.8-kilometre swim, a 180-kilometre cycle ride and a 42-kilometre marathon, completed consecutively within prescribed time limits. Noronha, a former gymnast, took on the distance at 18 after discovering a love for running during the Covid-19 lockdown. Cycling and swimming followed, bringing her to triathlon.

Her ambition now is to become the youngest person to complete Ironman races across six continents. She has finished races on four continents and has two remaining. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, she said the current overall record was held by a male athlete who achieved it at 21 years and 167 days.

Her target is to set a new mark at 21 years and 90 days. She also hopes to become the youngest woman to complete the challenge.

"One of my biggest goals is to encourage more girls from India to get into triathlons," she said. "I feel like this one I'm doing for the girls because I want to show the world that me as a girl, I'm capable of doing this and girls around the world are capable of doing this."

While the ambition is clear, funding it is harder.

International races mean paying for flights, accommodation, equipment and transporting a bicycle across borders. Noronha said she has been seeking sponsors and funding for her six-continent challenge, with her parents and individual supporters helping her along the way.

"So it is very difficult to get support," she said. "I am really grateful that I have my parents who supported this journey throughout, from the time I started this sport. When I was a complete beginner, they believed in my vision."

The expense was particularly steep for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. Noronha estimated that the trip cost around ~CHECK~10 lakh, made possible in part by individual contributions.

"I would say the cost of participating in Hawaii was somewhere around 10 lakhs, which was the most expensive race for me," she said.

She received a positive response after she first appealed for help on Instagram. The qualification for the World Championship happened after winning her age group at Ironman Philippines. But the next stages of her campaign will require further resources.

Her ambition is to become the youngest person to complete an Ironman on each of six continents. She has completed four continental legs of the challenge, with Argentina next and South Africa scheduled for April next year.

If she completes both as planned, she expects to set the record at 21 years and 90 days, surpassing the existing overall mark of 21 years and 167 days, which she said is held by a male athlete.

Renee wants to bring her current Ironman times down from the 14-15-hour range to 12 hours by next year.

The schedule has already become more demanding than planned. Noronha expected to compete in three races over four months before qualifying for the World Championship added a fourth. Knee pain during the Philippines race made physiotherapy and injury prevention priorities.

"My current target is to get through these four races, feeling strong and feeling the best I've felt," she said. "I need to get through those finish lines."

The 21-year-old is also pursuing a remote bachelor's degree in data science from IIT Madras. The flexibility helps her manage training and exams, while her coach, Shankar Napa, and her family support.

"When I have a race coming up, I need to really give more time to training. And when I have an exam coming up, I need to study more," she said.

For Noronha, the record attempt is about more than becoming the youngest athlete to complete the six-continent challenge. She wants Indian girls to see triathlon as a sport they can pursue. But first, she must get through Argentina and South Africa - and find the funding to reach both start lines.

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