In a nation that lives and breathes cricket, it is ever so difficult for other sports to stand out and make its own position in the country's sporting culture. Another factor is the mindset of the sports industry as the focus given to the non-cricket genres of sports and its athletes is predominantly dependent on success.

Such a genre is the Ironman competition -- series of long-distance triathlon races organised by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a 3.86 km swim, a 180.25 km bicycle ride and a marathon 42.20 km run, completed in that order.

However, with the achievements of Mohammad Shamsuzzaman Arafat, Mishu Biswas, and Abdullah Al Imran at the Ironman Championships, the endurance sports sector is making small yet assured strides in Bangladesh's sporting landscape.

In the Ironman Malaysia in November 2021, Arafat, who works at the Bangladesh Bank, exceeded expectations by leaps and bounds as he finished second in his age-group and 11th overall, while policeman Mishu was placed 11th in his age-group and 151st overall.

Photo: Collected

And Imran, who completed two Ironman races in 2018 and 2019, opted to test his passion for swimming in the Oceanman Asian Championships in Thailand last year. There, contestants had to swim 10 kilometres in open water. In his age-group, Imran stood 13th with an overall rank of 34th, a performance that saw him qualify for the 2024 Oceanman World Championships in Thailand.

For many in Bangladesh, the triathlon is a memory of a multi-faceted sport broadcasted on an American TV channel, but these three individuals are putting Bangladesh on the map with promising results. Moreover, they are inspiring the next generation to take up the global sport.

The Daily Star's Shabab Chowdhury caught up with Mishu Biswas to know how he pursue the challenges of competing in global sporting events while having a regular job.

DS: How did a policeman get into the journey of being an Ironman?

Mishu Biswas (MB): As you know, in my line of work, I have to deal with a lot of stress. The stress of my job wore me down mentally and started to take a toll on my health. So, to break free from that pressure, I started running. I got in touch with the running community and ran in several marathons. From that, I moved on to swimming which is something that I had to learn late. I crossed the Bangla Channel and then decided to hone my cycling skills before I was confident that I could compete in the Ironman Championship.

Photo: Collected

DS: How did you find the time to train for competitions?

MB: It is difficult. Most of the time, I have to train alone because of my work schedule. I run at Ramna Park at 11pm and when it comes to swimming, it's difficult to find pools that are designed to train for competitions. Cycling brings its own set of challenges as we don't really have cycling lanes here. We have to train at Hatirjheel at night which is risky. There have been many accidents and I myself have been in at least two. You see, we do this out of enormous self-motivation and enthusiasm. Most of my training regimes and techniques are off the internet and from talking with foreign athletes.

Photo: Collected

DS: How can we make Ironman Competitions more mainstream in Bangladesh?

MB: It will take a lot of planning but at the very basic, I'd say that we would have to arrange events. The more events we arrange, the greater the participation will be and more athletes will come through. We can, at the local level, organise year-round triathlon events which will not only help us stay in practice throughout the year but will also ensure the growth of the sport.