By Aryan Khartad PROVING that finding perfect work-life balance is not amyth, 53-year-old Dr Sunita Dhote has carveda formidable niche in the fitness world. Aprofessor at RamdeobabaUniversity,previouslyRamdeobabaCollege of Engineering and Management, adouble doctorate and amother,she has successfully completed the Ironman Triathlon multiple times alongside several ultraendurance feats,all while managing ademanding academiccareerandahousehold. Growing up as an Air Force kid, Dhote credits her late father,JWO Gangadhar Kshirsagar,forinstilling thesoldierly discipline that became her life’s cornerstone. “Myfather used to wake us up withaplayful slap everyday fiveminutes before5am. His soldierly discipline helped me immensely,” she recalled while talking to ‘The Hitavada’. Foraself-described hyperactive child, who once played tag on trees, those earlymorning sessions evolved into alifelong habit. “I was apretty hyperactivechild, mostly because my father had grown me into the habit of waking up early and exercising. The routine got instilled in my life and Istill follow this,” said Dhote who has also represented India in international diving championship in Montreal in 2013. Thepath toendurancesportsbegan as aquest to fill time. “While pursuing my PhD, Iused to followarigorous routine,waking at 4 am to study beforereadying my sons,Tejas and Rajas,followed by teaching at college,” said the scuba diving enthusiast. Once her doctorate was complete, she foundasuddenvoidinherschedule. To stay fit and fresh, she picked up swimming and cycling. “I had about 2-3 hours everyday doing nothing after Icompleted my Phd.Iengaged in running and swimming to utilisetime,and slowly, it converted intoa daily habit,” she explained.

 

Herathletic ambitions quickly scaled. “InNovember 2014, Iwas inspired by the Swachh Bharat Mission. And thus,Ihopped-on on a cycling expedition from Nagpur to Pondicherry. Covering 1,412 kilometres in seven days,” Dhote said as she got the featregistered in Asia Book of Records. Soon after,she joined the Orange City Runners Club,introduced by renowned ultra-athlete Dr Amit Samarth. “Knowing Icould nowrun, bike and swim, Iset her sights on triathlons after joining Dr Amit Samarth.” After starting with asprint Ironman (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) in Hyderabad in 2016 as thesole femaleparticipant,she then finished an Olympic Triathlon (1.5kmswim, 40kmbike,10kmrun) in 2017 to preparefor the gruelling Ironman 70.3 (1.9kmswim, 90km bike,21.1km run). The road was not easy ... “I attempted the Ironman 70.3 five times without hitting the allocated time.Mybreakthrough finally cameinDubaiin 2022,whereIfinished in 7 hours and 40 minutes, becoming the only female triathlete from CentralIndia to achieve this milestone,” Dhoterecalled. Dhote currently trains under Dr Amit Trivedi (Physio). Herhusband, Nitin Dhote,a civil engineer,prefersalow-activity lifestyle but acts as her faithful pillar of support. Meanwhile, her sons shareher passion for fitness.“Whenone of us goes throughbattle,weall go through the same battle. If my son has an exam, everyonewould startstudying. If Ihavea big race,there is all hands on deck,”Dhote said. Treatingher bodylikeatemple,she maintains astrict nutrition philosophy:“We never offer pizzas or pasta at the temple, we only givecoconuts, bananas and milk. Iprefer the same mentality with my body.” Addressinglifestyleailmentsprevalentin societylike diabetes andblood pressure, Dhote urges people not to surrender to them.

 

“When we catch acold, we don’t make it our whole life; we try to overcomeit.Why cannotwe feel the same way regarding conditions likehigh blood pressureand diabetes?” she asked. Forbeginners,her advice is: “Start somewhere, dedicate 45 minutes a day to an outdoor sport, beginning with amodest 10-minute walk and gradually building pace and endurance.” For Dr Sunita Dhote,the finish line is never the end...itis simply the start of anew lesson.