On the Passing of an Ironman:

 Rishi was always there. And, with a smile.

My dear friend, Rishi Lalwani passed away on Sunday, 9^th July, 2023, at 9:30 am. I am still processing the shock and grief, over the loss of a friend and a gentleman. Rishi was always there for everyone; he was the classic 3 am friend, whether it was to party, or to go on a 4-hour cycle ride, both of which have been done. He was an integral part of the SoBo running and triathlon community, and it would be safe to say that Marine Drive won’t be the same without him. In a group of alpha males (and females), Rishi was unique – he trained as hard, if not harder than anyone around him, but somehow you never felt that competitive edge, when cycling or running alongside him. And before anyone pipes up – he was NOT overtraining. In fact, over the last year or so, his training volume was the lowest I have ever known it to be.

 

Rishi was always there. And, with a smile.

In the middle of a long run, it was not unusual for Rishi to suddenly up the tempo and leave us behind. We would wonder where he had disappeared, and would find him a kilometre ahead, at Worli, or at Chowpatty. He would be waiting for us with coconuts in his hands, all cut and ready to consume, so we could hydrate mid-run, without losing time. And for all you Garmin obsessed runners, you know what a big deal that is! Our good friend, Roopali Mehta, an ace runner and nutritionist was his regular running partner, who needs no introduction. Roopali stops for no one during her run, except for nature, which she often needs to. Rishi would specially carry a five-rupee coin, so she could use the Sulabh Sauchalyas along the way, and wait for her outside, every time.

 

Rishi was always there. And, with a smile.

Let’s rewind to my favourite Rishi-Simran story. Flashback to November, 2019, Antalya, Turkey, at the half Ironman triathlon. Rishi was known as the Ironman in our group, because of having done several ‘full Ironmans”. For the uninitiated, this consists of 3.8 km of sea swimming, 180 km of cycling, and 42.2 km of running, and yes, it’s all to be done back to back, with the idea being to spend as little time as possible in transition, between disciplines. Rishi trained his dear wife, Simran to participate in the triathlon, and here we were, all together in Turkey, for the event. He chaperoned her through the swim, and gallantly waited outside the ladies change area, for her to transition to the bike. A decent T1 (transition time), would be around 5 minutes, but after 15 minutes when she did not show up, he started getting worried, before madam finally appeared. It turned out that she spent the extra time, applying sun-block and getting prettied up for the next leg, as well as sharing cosmetics and skin-tips, with other triathletes! We must have narrated that story a hundred times, and each time, I could sense a mix of exasperation and joy in him, as we recalled that day. Their sweet daughter, Mallika was our official photographer during the trip, and the only adult present, might I add.

 

Rishi was always there. And, with a smile.

Rishi was a rare high-level athlete, who was always happy to run or cycle with those, much slower than him, and to give them company. If he saw you struggling mid-run, he would happily change his plan for the day, and give you the encouragement needed. His compassion extended off the field as well, till the very end. A week before his passing, when he was on a family holiday in Spain, they met an elderly couple in visible distress at Barcelona airport. It turned out, they had left their passport in the aircraft in their earlier flight, and were stranded.  At the cost of missing his own connection, he accompanied them to various counters of the airport, to make sure they were safe and sorted.

I was fortunate to have run with him alone, about ten days prior to that fateful Sunday. Usually, we have our entourage of Roopali, Krishna and the good lord, aka Saroosh, with us. Our conversations are never serious, but that day, serendipitously, we started talking about his life story. I learned how his first job was selling greeting cards, made by NGOs such, as CRY. He would buy bags of them from Mumbai and carry them to Pune, several times a week, where he would sell them to corporate clients. By chance, he landed up in the business of freight forwarding, in which he experienced great success, through sheer dint of hard work, and practical acumen. His was the classic story of landing up in Mumbai, with very little and making it big. I felt privileged to have had the good fortune of hearing it all from him, in great detail. When I met with Simran after the funeral, she narrated a string of random events, over the past two weeks, which somehow seemed to be him saying goodbye to the world.

The final run.

 On that fateful Sunday, I was running by myself and passed Rishi at Peddar Road, outside Jaslok Hospital, as I was heading north, and he was returning. Ordinarily, he would have turned around and joined me, but this time he just said, ‘see you at the end’. We did meet at NCPA, post-run, and indulged in our usual banter. This time the theme was the cruise he had just returned from, and we were ribbing him about it having been sponsored by his in-laws. Rishi was in vintage form, regaling us with stories about Ibiza, and how much fun the trip was, with his entire extended family there to celebrate his mother in-law’s 75^th birthday. He left for breakfast at KGC, after which he felt a bit queasy and ‘acidic’. He got home, and passed away within minutes, giving no chance for any emergency measures. He lived life on his terms, and lived it to the fullest. Unfortunately, like many great souls, he has left us too soon. He leaves behind a beautiful family; his wife Simran and two lovely children, Mallika and Jaan, who is aspiring to become a doctor.

As Simran told me, Rishi is in heaven and smiling at us. I actually imagine him on a stationary bike, coconut water in hand, and when it’s our turn, he will be there to welcome us. With a smile.

Rishi and Simran, Ironman, Turkey, Nov 2019

At Antalya, after the half-Ironman. Rishi is on the extreme right, in black

With Roopali and Simran at the 2023, Tata Mumbai Marathon