Ultra-athlete goes off on another triathlon challenge
On Tuesday, Estonian ultramarathoner and triathlete Rait Ratasepp set off on a challenge in Fuerteventura to finish 60 full-length triathlons in as many days. Ratasepp is set to pass 228 km swimming, 10,800 km on his bicycle and 2,532 km on his feet from October 5 to December 3.
Ratasepp is no stranger to the warm, but windy climate and the climb-rich, but calm traffic of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, as the Estonian finished a 20-time ultra-triathlon in 2018 and a 40-time ultra-triathlon in 2019.
The athlete took one week to adapt to the hot climate and to recover from the car trip which lasted a week the last time around, but made some amendments to his preparation this time. "I came to the Canary Islands three weeks in advance for two reasons. Firstly, so I would have enough time to recover and secondly, so that I could prepare and train my body properly for the long days. I hope the first days of the challenge will be easier than the previous attempts," Ratasepp said.
His primary goal is to make it across the finish line. "But since the 41st day, I will have exceeded my longest previous distance, I will try to make it through the first 40 days faster than ever before to keep myself sharp," Ratasepp said.
He said the goal is to finish each triathlon in less than 11 years, which would mean a total time of under 660 hours. "Similarly to my 20-time and 40-time ultra-triathlons, I intend to run all 60 marathons in less than four hours. There will certainly be many tough moments and tough days, but I would be very glad to be able to get through this without any major issues," the athlete noted.
Ratasepp will be aided by more than 50 people in the next 60 days.
More info and results, including the route and goals, are available on Rait Ratasepp's homepage here.
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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste