Shanavas Abdul Hakkim, alias Machu, moved to Oman from Alappuzha almost two decades ago in search of prosperity and a better life. There he became an athlete “by chance”.
At 50, the Malayalee expat won his third Ironman 70.3 title in a long-distance triathlon held at Muscat in Oman on February 17, 2024. Machu, who works in the media industry in the Gulf country, completed a 1.9-km ocean swim, a 90-km cycling, and a 21-km run in seven hours and 23 minutes (7:23:01) as against the mandatory cut-off time of eight hours. This victory in Muscat follows his previous Ironman 70.3 wins at Salalah in 2022, which he completed in 7:35:39, and in 2023, the latter in the team event (7:11:55).
Machu says he never participated in a competitive athletics or swimming event during his younger days. “I used to run a bit, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. I did not even know how to swim until a few months before competing in Ironman 70.3 Salalah in 2022,” he says.
