It was 31°C in Italy the day Saiyami Kher took part in Ironman 70.3, or Half Ironman, which involves a 1.9 km swim, a 90 km bike ride, and a 21.1 km run, for a total of 113 km. Despite having finished the race in Germany in 2024 and in Sweden in 2025, Saiyami calls the one in Italy the toughest one yet.
There were massive jellyfish in the water. As Saiyami tells me that the idea is to improve herself every year, she details what it takes for an actor from Mumbai to train for the Ironman. It was 31°C and very hot during the bike ride and run. And I still finished 20 minutes quicker than last year, I’m proud of that.
“I always choose races in Europe because I cannot handle the heat,” she tells HT Lifestyle, adding, “But there was a heat wave in Italy.
“I have been running outdoors for around 7 years now, but cycling and swimming are new additions. It takes around 6-8 months of training to complete the Ironman. And I put in at least 5-6 days a week,” she says. As she rounds off, Saiyami strongly believes that 24 hours a day are more than enough for her to shoot for films and train. “I do a 12-hour shift of work and get an hour and a half of training in.
Because that alone ensures I cross the finish line 99% of the time, i try to follow a strict diet and fitness plan. But it gives me a sense of purpose and discipline. It’s a reason to wake up and put a check on something. It makes me feel really good. The more she increases her mileage, the more she eats. “You eat depending on the output you want, so my meals are very scientific and structured. I naturally increase the amount of carbs I eat. Sure, there’s a sea in Mumbai, and there are also long, winding roads, but the city is hardly conducive to training outdoors, where the Ironman takes place. Much like her diet, Saiyami breaks down her fitness regimen with her trainer into numbers, but it all depends on her schedule. Mumbai has so much traffic, and it isn’t safe to cycle outdoors. So, I do it indoors; it’s easier to manage my running this way, too. I have to make do with such sacrifices. I feel like we don’t realise how much time we have in a day,” she sums it up breezily.
Saiyami says that it has been a decade since she completed her first marathon, and the natural next step was a triathlon . “The next step in endurance was Ironman for me, I’ve always had it on my bucket list,” she says, adding, “It’s pretty brutal to do it in the middle of shoots and releases. Saiyami says her diet varies across different phases of training as she gets closer to Ironman. My nutritionist also ensures that my salt and electrolytes are balanced, given the heat wave everywhere,” she says. So, Saiyami says that she makes do with the indoors. “Sometimes, I’m shooting on Sunday when we usually do a long 6-hour training session with 4 hours of cycling or 2 hours of swimming or running,” she explains, adding, “Now, if I’m working on Sunday, I have to get that in during the week.
