Endurance tests aren’t just for the boys

You were wrong if you thought that an adventure and endurance race that brought the toughest of men down on their knees would be out of bounds for the female population: The Enduro3 had many women participants as well.

You were wrong if you thought that an adventure and endurance race that brought the toughest of men down on their knees would be out of bounds for the female population: The Enduro3 had many women participants as well.

While some were state and national level athletes who were already used to the sort of rigorous training that the Enduro3 requires, others were collegians or professionals who wanted to take their need for fitness and adventure to the next level.

Most teams had at least one girl member, as having a mixed team is mandatory according to the rules of the race. In fact, the rules also stated that the rifle-shooting segment would have the female member firing the five rounds.

Vasanti Joshi, 48, the oldest member in the open category, loved the rifle-shooting round the most. “All of my five rounds were bang on target!” she shrieked like a school girl as she got back on her cycle after the rifle shooting round.

“The race is a great competition. Both men and women will be attracted to it. And in fact, more women will participate in the next few years,” she added.

Rutuja Ladkat, 19, who has been participating in the Enduro3 for the last three years, said the race’s popularity has “soared in the last three years”. “We have more women participating in it now,” she said. She added that her athletic training held her in good stead for the race.

For Calvin Vaz, 27, his tough cookie teammate Reyna Farias, 27 was an inspiration. “I was proud of her for lasting through the tough stretch. She was always positive,” he said.

“We didn’t have much practice for the race but I enjoyed every bit of it.”