Officer’s ultra triumph

An IPS officer by profession and a poet at heart, Krishna Prakash is also a hardcore fitness enthusiast. Taking his enthusiasm to another level, the officer recently completed the arduous Ultraman Australia endurance race in 34 hours and 21 minutes.

He has in fact become the first Indian civil servant in uniform to have pulled off this title, beating actor Milind Soman’s last year record of 34 hours and 49 minutes at Ultraman Florida.

It all started in 2017 when he heard writer K. Vijay Kumar speak about dacoit Veerappan. “I heard in the writer’s speech that the bandit’s internal organs were as healthy as a 15-year-old boy’s at the time of post-mortem. So I thought why can’t we, being police officers, be fit? That was the triggering point for me to stay fit,” says the 48-year-old.

The officer, who completed a gruelling 10-km swim in the Pacific Ocean, 421.1 km of cycling and 84.3 km of double marathon over three days with a 12-hour cut off each day, says the fitness bug bit him during his training days in Hyderabad.

“I used to be the first runner-up in swimming, cycling and yoga championships. But formal interest started only when I came to Mumbai,” recalls the officer.

To achieve this feat, the officer used to wake up at three in the morning and finish his exercise by 8.30.  “I took special care of my food and concentrated on the diet advised by the dietician. I did not take any protein supplements and I was on an intermittent fast. I would not eat between 7 pm and 9 am. But now I eat everything,”laughs Krishna.

The IPS officer displays the tricolour after completing the race.

It wasn’t a cakewalk, however. On his journey to Ultraman, the officer met with a major accident and could not work out till March. “I had multiple leg and shoulder fractures  and was advised not to do any physical activity. But where there is a will there is a way, I managed to start practicing from March,” says a proud Krishna. If this was not enough, he met with an accident on the second day of the tournament too. “My cycle’s brakes failed; I had injuries, but I had to finish the race. I had to go through medical check-ups everyday after the race for blood pressure, heart rate and sugar level,” he adds.

And what keept him motivated throughout? “It is your mind that keeps you motivated. I recite Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s ‘Koshish Karne walon ki haar nahi hoti’. It is kind of a meditation while on the task,” he smiles.

The officer also dedicates his achievement to Bharat Ke Veer — India’s Bravehearts, an initiative by minister of home affairs Rajnath Singh that allows the public to contribute financially to the families of Indian paramilitary and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) killed in the line of duty. “My intention gave me the motivation to achieve this title. I had to finish this championship and I am happy that I could run with the Indian tricolour,” he says.

“I had multiple leg and shoulder fractures  and was advised to not to do any physical activity”—Krishna Prakash