Investing in Your Health With Ironman Dr. Kaustubh Radkar
- ByStartupStory | December 11, 2020
“What is the purpose of any workout? Enjoyment? Improvement? Coach said so? Whatever, the hour you run often is the best hour of the day.” – Hal Higdon
What you read just now is a quote straight from the website of a super amazing coaching academy that has been motivating and training athletes and amateurs alike to run. I am talking about RadStrong, Pune, Maharashtra which was founded by the equally extraordinary and marvelous Dr. Kaustubh Radkar.
Dr. Kaustubh Radkar is one of the Elite Indian Triathletes. He is the first Indian to finish the Ironman Triathlon 25 times and one of the select few Asians to have finished it on all 6 continents.
A former Indian national swimmer who represented India and moved to the USA and got his multiple degrees, Radkar is the only Indian to have finished The Ironman World Championship at Kona 2017.
Now doesn’t that make you want to know more?
A Typical Day in The Life of Kaustubh Radkar
A typical day in his life when he’s on the road starts with a workout at 5 in the morning and gets finished by 7. After a cup of coffee he goes on to his second workout of the day by 8:00 am. He calls himself an early to bed early to rise kind of guy and hence concludes his day by 9:30 pm.
The founder of RadStrong, Radkar creates running plans by talking to athletes to especially accommodate their unique needs. He primarily trains amateurs and professional athletes for 5k to Ultra Marathons.
The Swimmer to a Runner Transition
Given that he was a very successful Indian National Swimmer, the question of him ever having planned on it was obvious. To that he said that Swimming is something that just happened. His parents wanted him to learn Swimming as a life training skill, when he found out that he was good at it he started going up for competitions and when that fared well his parents let him make a career out of it.
Radkar’s Swimming career ended in 2004 though because he went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree. He soon enough realized that he had to find another way to stay fit. The only other way was to run and that’s how he transitioned into a runner.
From Being a Triathlete to Being a Coach
In 2008 he did his first Ironman Triathlon, he continued to do it in 2009 and then he did his second and then third subsequently. Seeing his apparent prowess in this field some friends of his started asking him to make training plans for them and in 2010 he started coaching unofficially and finally in 2014 he made it into his full time business.
Radkar also voiced how the startup has helped him as an individual. He mentioned, “This startup has made me more disciplined and more committed. Training 125+ athletes to see their progression drives you to do more, a lot of coaching is problem solving, not just for yourself but for your athletes. Every athlete has their individual set of problems and that translates to life as well directly, you’re always figuring out ways to deal with certain issues that you come across.”
Kaustubh believes in a process driven holistic approach when it comes to training athletes. He says, “Their lives are technically in my hands” and that is what his coaching centers on.
When asked what is it that gets him out of bed every day he readily said, “I have some dreams and goals I have to achieve. I want to give my 100 per cent every single day.” And that is honestly commendable.
He also added, “I was not one of the most talented swimmers but I was one of the most hard working swimmers.” and this statement in itself says a lot about the kind of dedication and perseverance that is needed to accomplish anything.
Always Wanted To Set Up His Own Academy
Radkar had completed his education in the USA and he moved back to India. He revealed that it was always the plan; to come back to India and set up his own academy or training center. After getting all his degrees heI was at a crossroads when he thought that if he didn’t move back to India then that he might never move back. “I wanted to give it a shot and looking back, that’s the best decision I made.”
If not an athlete or a swimmer, Radkar would have been a lawyer. His father, uncle and aunt are lawyers and he says that he definitely had the “law genes”.
Health Leads to Happiness and Doping Leads to Long Term Health Issues
Kaustubh emphasized that Health is the primary source of happiness, but being fit and being healthy are two different things. With respect to doping practices he said that you must know what goes into your body and that this activity has become more prevalent in Indian marathons and triathlons, especially with amateurs.
“What people don’t realize is that whatever substances they’re inhaling or consuming will give rise to long term health issues for them. They don’t understand the risk. It is very careless”, Radkar firmly said.
The only two supplements he suggests people take are multivitamins and protein supplements if you are a vegetarian or a really busy person.
Dr. Radkar’s Message
Pro Tip: It’s time to take our health and immunity seriously. Don’t wait for tomorrow to start; do it today. Whatever fitness regime you want to get on, get on it today. Remember, if you’re not the most talented person and even if you are, if you don’t put in the work someone will be there to take your spot.
Kaustubh had a really enlightening thing to say about doubt he said, “Self-doubt and doubt is there every single day, it’s about how you handle them. How you learn from them is much more important. Doubt is a great way to stay humble, it keeps you honest and lets you know if you are on the right track or not.” He also added, “What we know as individuals is only a small fraction of what is happening in the world”.
So work hard and work smart everyone because what you want is waiting for you just at the ned of the finish line. Just like Kaustubh said, start it today!
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