GENERATION OF “IRON MEN”

Triterra Baku Triathlon Club is one of the leading triathlon clubs in Azerbaijan. Founded in 2017, its main goal is to contribute to the development of amateur sport in Azerbaijan, promote healthy lifestyle and train iron men. The club has highly professional coaches and promotes the training of amateur athletes in all age groups, which successfully represent the country at international competitions. The founder of the club is Rufat HASANOV, a man who won the title of Ironman.

"Where did you get the idea for the Triterra Club?"

"We founded it in order to develop amateur triathlon in Azerbaijan and to prepare local athletes professionally for Ironman competitions, also known as long triathlon. For this purpose we invited foreign coaches to develop the required fundamental approach and effective training system from the very beginning. I would like to list all the coaching staff: Alexander Mordashov, Yelena Timchenko and Natalia Mordashova. Seizing this opportunity, I would like to thank them for their hard work and invaluable contribution to the accomplishment of our tasks. For the members of our club, they are not only coaches, but also good friends, if you will, teammates. Rather it's a team of like-minded people!"

"What has changed over the years in the attitude towards triathlon?"

"I have been doing triathlon since the end of 2015. First as an amateur athlete and later as a club leader and race organiser. This discipline is getting increasingly popular around the world. Triathlon is becoming a prestigious, fashionable and popular sport. For example, while the earlier athletes came to triathlon from separate disciplines, such as swimming, road cycling and running, now the training methodology in children's and youth triathlon starts with the creation of specific triathlon sections for them. So the training base for the children and youth includes combined training in all disciplines from the very beginning. This is how athletes are trained in the leading triathlon countries Germany, Austria and the USA. It is encouraging to note that the new leadership of the Azerbaijan Triathlon Federation emphasises specifically on the creation of sections for the children. They will be opened in Baku and the regions of Azerbaijan. I think this can be done given the number of sports venues in the regions. Triathlon requires a 25-metre swimming pool, a good roadbed for cycling and asphalted road for running. All these are available in Azerbaijan. The most important thing is to ensure the safety of athletes, especially young athletes, during cycling on the motorway.

"As to amateur triathlon, I was the second person from Azerbaijan awarded the title of Ironman, which I received back in 2017. Six years later the official number of Ironmen in the country already approaches 30. You may ask if it is many. 30 citizens of Azerbaijan, including two female athletes, performing at various tournaments abroad, were able to overcome the 'iron distance' and victoriously raised the flag of Azerbaijan. As immodest as it may sound, but about half of these wonderful people have trained at Triterra Club. Please also note that about 23 more amateur Azerbaijani triathletes have become Half-Ironmen. In fact, they make up the golden reserve, which will undoubtedly join our thirty. We believe that they will also be awarded the title of Ironman!

"Compared to countries where triathlon is very popular and the number of participants can reach tens of thousands, our successes may seem very modest. But every successful performance and new achievements are valuable for us. Now imagine what our results could be had we 20 or 30 such clubs. Nevertheless, we still have good results that we can and should be proud of, although triathlon is considered a specific type of sport and is not that popular yet. It requires quite a serious investment in training, purchase of the necessary equipment and payments for participation in various international tournaments."

"Please tell us about how you launched the club at all."

"The idea came right after I had completed the full distance. After many competitions, I was amazed to see hundreds and even thousands of people of all ages and social levels gathered to test their physical skills and will. Then I thought it was necessary to create a similar community in our country. And the first step would be to create a club that would train amateur triathletes and organise similar events in Azerbaijan. So our first start took place in 2017. It was a one-kilometre  swim in the open sea with only ten participants. Five years later, we organised an international start event with 100 participants. By the way, all this was possible thanks to the support of our main sponsor PMD Group, which from the first day promoted the idea of creating the club and provided us with the necessary funding and organisational assistance. Since 2023, we also have Pasha Holding as one of the sponsor's of our club. For us, it is a great responsibility in terms of the achieved results and quality of our work."

"There are many tournaments around the world where one can get the title of Ironman. What would be your advice for the amateur athletes who want to become one?"

"You are absolutely right. There is a large number of Ironman starts held every year on different continents. The choice is very large. While the distance is the same, the starts differ from each other in terms of the difficulty of the course, altitude, sea temperature, and other climatic conditions. So, you can choose a start in Dubai at a temperature of +30 degrees Celsius or a start in Norway, where the sea temperature is 12 degrees Celsius. The most important thing is the training process and confidence in your abilities. If an athlete has been honestly and effectively training at home, the location does not really matter be it Norway, Bahrain or Rwanda. He will pass the distance anyway. Yes, the country of the race is important, but the most important thing is your training process. You need to work hard, spare 8-10 hours per week for training to get the Ironman. The motto of our club characterises the spirit and goal of Ironman triathlon in the best possible way: Train Your Triumph!"

"I wonder how many Azerbaijanis can be called Ironmen? Tell us about them..."

"I have already told you the number of our fellow citizens awarded the title. These are very interesting and strong people able to solve the most difficult tasks and goals. Almost all of them are very successful people, holding high positions in the organisations they represent. Businessmen, bankers, managers, lawyers, teachers, government officials. Each of them deserves a separate article. Many of them came to the Iron triathlon at a rather mature age - after 35-40 years. I am proud of each of them. Especially our ladies."

"Is it safe to assume that your club also helps you to be healthy?"

"Definitely, but it is not only about excellent physical health. It is also about mental, or internal transformation. There are more profound processes going on here. Imagine a successful 35-45 years old man who needs to change something in his life, to change the habitual and comfortable way of life, to get up from the couch (often literally) to challenge himself! I think each of us realises that it is sometimes the hardest thing to defeat oneself...

"As to the physical aspect of training, almost all triathletes have a well-developed and slim body. In fact, the secret of harmonious body development lies in the successive alternation of loads during running, swimming, and cycling phases. Well, the most important difference between triathletes is their endurance. Perhaps, they have no equal here. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Ironman competitions are considered one of the most difficult in the world."

"What about your future plans for the club and the sport in general?"

"As always, we are mainly focused on preparing amateur athletes for the Ironwind distance. We are also promoting and developing competitions under the local brand, holding triathlon races at half of the Ironwind distance. The most prestigious triathlon race in the world is the Ironman. We therefore train our athletes so that they could complete the full distance at official starts of this tournament. At the same time we want to develop our local brand, which is the largest in the region. Amateur athletes from Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus already come to us. We aim to expand the geography by attracting more athletes from Türkiye, the Gulf States and Asia.

"This year, around 100 amateur athletes took part in our kick-off. In 2024, we want to double this number. By the way, our foreign participants noted a very good level of organisation of the competition, which is not an easy task even on a half distance. As organisers, we are obliged to ensure safety both on the swimming stage (1.9 km in the sea) and on the longest cycling stage, which takes about four hours and is 90 km long. Plus 21 kilometres on the running stage. All this would not have been possible without the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and personally Minister Farid Gayibov. Among other things, he also joins our competitions as an athlete. And this is a great incentive for many participants.

"In addition, BCC, the Formula-1 operational team, acts as our partner at IronWind starts, providing logistical, marketing and general consultancy support. This synergy proves how important and useful Formula 1 has been for our country. Thanks to our example, it is clear that other sports, in particular triathlon, are also benefiting from this experience. I would like to express my gratitude to the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the executive authorities and the managers of the Narakend Park in Pirallahi for their invaluable assistance and participation in organising and hosting our main IronWind race."