Soul Of Steel Adds Himalayan Challenge To Adventure Sports Lovers
New Delhi: You can call it the Himalayan version of the ‘Ironman’, probably the toughest race of endurance on Planet Earth, but the ‘Soul of Steel’ event, jointly conducted by the Indian Army and the Conquer Lan Air Water (CLAW) Global last week, was no less, perhaps even more grueling.
Sports has tested the ultimate level of physical endurance and motivation to excel. The Ironman triathlon, comprising of a 3.9 km swim, 180.2 km of cycling and a full marathon over 42.2 km, is generally considered as the toughest one-day sporting event in the world.
The Soul of Steel Himalayan Challenge, the final phase of which was held between June 10-17 in the forward areas of Garhwal Himalayas, was the first time adventure sports enthusiasts in India were exposed to challenges faced by military personnel in border areas. And it was an eye-opener.
Soul of Steel, launched this June to mark the 120 th raising of 9 (independent) Mountain Brigade Group, tested specialized skills that included high-altitude mountaineering, extreme cold survival and of course, psychological and physical strength.
A team comprising Vishal Banne (Karnataka), Ravi Thakur (Haryana) and Navneet Pandey (Uttar Pradesh) won the competition while the team of Ankush Mandhotra (Himachal Pradesh), Himanshu Kumawat (Rajasthan) and Tanmay Magarde (Maharashtra) finished runners-up.
Banne was adjudged the athlete with the best technique while Uttarkhand’s Manoj Rana was the best in endurance. Central Army Commander Lt Gen NS Raja Subramani felicitated the winners.
Climbing techniques were tested during the Soul of Steel Himalayan Challenge. (Image: Indian Army)
Endurance, mountain climbing and navigations skills at a height of over 17,000 feet were tested in this grueling event. During the Soul of Himalayan Challenge, the participants covered a distance of 60 kms in high altitude terrain in a self-sustained method. They carried their tents, technical equipment and ration. No administrative support was provided en route the four days of the Challenge through glaciers, ice walls, treacherous rock faces and snow-capped peaks.
The participants were judged on time taken between check points. Advanced climbing techniques on rock and ice, rescue operations, making improvised stretchers with a rope, first aid in cases of injuries and high altitude illness etc. were some of the parameters on which the competitors were marked.
Considering that this was the first time, the overall participation was quite impressive. The challenge attracted 1401 (including 94 women) highly skilled athletes, adventure sports enthusiasts and armed forces aspirants. These applicants were put through a grueling two-stage screening process, out of which only 23 (including two women) were finally selected to undergo a 10-week extensive training under experts of the Indian Armed Forces and CLAW Global.
Finally, 18 made the cut for the final stage of the Challenge. They were divided into six teams of three each.