Login Register
Follow Us

Age is just a number for this 52-year-old fitness buff

When it comes to fitness, Sarb Raj Kumar, a civil engineer, says excuses have no place if you want a good physique

Show comments

Ajay Joshi
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, September 16

Nothing inspires you to hit the gym quite like a 52-year-old, who has proved that if you work hard, age is just a number. When it comes to fitness, Sarb Raj Kumar, a civil engineer, says excuses have no place if you want a good physique. Sarb started his fitness journey around 10 years ago. After a few years, he started developing interest for fitness and chose to jump another level by participating in marathons. After participating in local events, he tried his calibre in international races, where he managed to match the standards.

Having clinched the eminent fitness title of ‘Ironman’ (Triathlon), last year, Sarb is now gearing up for Boston Fitness Challenge. He won the ‘Triathlon’ title by completing 225-km fitness challenge, including continuous 3.86-km swimming, 180.25-km bicycle ride and 42.20-km run in 16 hours and 16 seconds. With this, he becomes the second ‘Ironman’ from the state. The triathlon, considered as one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world, was organised in Malaysia.

Around 1,400 participants from 17 countries had taken part in the fitness event and only 970 participants managed to qualify the triathlon. The event was hosted by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). In November 2018, he also participated in the Olympian patron event, which was based on the similar parameters but the distance was reduced to 52 km.

He says, one can stay in good shape at any age. “Ever since I got into fitness, my lifestyle has changed and compared to people of my age, I never faced any health issues and didn’t take medicines. I make sure that I follow my running schedule and do strength training 3-4 days a week. As I started preparing for the next marathon, I bought a treadmill and an exercising bicycle to remain on the track. I’m right now only focused about clearing the qualifying round of the Boston Marathon. I take special care of my diet, too, which includes natural sweet sources, fibres, fruits among other things,” said Sarb, who is presently working in the Public Works Department (PWD), Kapurthala.

He begins his day at 3 am followed by three hours of fitness activities. “Without hampering my demanding job, I used to train myself extra on weekends, that included, four hours training on Saturdays and 7-8 hours’ training on Sundays,” he said.

Before the lockdown, he participated in IDBI Marathon, Hoshiyarpur Marathon and Republic Day marathon, which was organised in Chandigarh. With the help of the social media, he also encourages people to stay fit.

Show comments
Show comments

Trending News

Also In This Section


Top News



Most Read In 24 Hours