12/10/2026
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Nakon gotovo 12 sati i 3,8 kilometara plivanja, 180 kilometara bicikliranja te 42,2 kilometra trčanja napokon sam ostvario svoj san ‒ postao sam IRONMAN. Prije dvije godine nisam ni sanjao da ću ovako nešto postići, ali tada sam naišao na video danskog sportaša Andersa Hofmana koji je svladao prvi IRONMAN na Antarktici. To me jako zaintrigiralo i potaknulo da istražim kako bih se i ja mogao okušati u sličnom izazovu. Nisam ni bio svjestan da se u Hrvatskoj održavaju ovakva natjecanja, ali kada sam vidio da je za osam mjeseci u Poreču polutriatlon IRONMAN 70.3, nisam mogao odoljeti i impulzivno sam se prijavio. Tek sam nakon prijave krenuo stvarati plan treninga. Iako su treninzi bili iznimno umarajući i intenzivni, uspijevao sam ih kombinirati s nogometom i drugim obvezama. Prvi IRONMAN 70.3 završio sam u malo više od šest sati, a već sljedeće godine u Luksemburgu poboljšao sam vrijeme i probio granicu od šest sati.
Nakon dva polutriatlona shvatio sam da je vrijeme i za cijeli triatlon ‒ IRONMAN Klagenfurt. Najprije sam išao na fiziološka testiranja kako bih doznao koliko sam spreman i na što bih trebao obratiti posebnu pažnju. Iako sam imao šest i pol mjeseci za pripremu, znao sam da je to za ovakav izazov gotovo pa ništa te da moram imati dobar plan kako bih što bolje iskoristio vrijeme. Nažalost, to je značilo da moram privremeno ostaviti nogomet. Plan treninga podijelio sam u tri ciklusa, a nakon svakog bih ciklusa ponovno napravio testiranja kako bih imao točniju sliku tjelesnog stanja. Zatim su krenuli mukotrpni mjeseci pripreme, koji su uključivali svakodnevne treninge, većinom i dvaput dnevno. U početku mi je najviše muke zadavao trenažni bicikl, na kojemu sam proveo sate i sate monotone vožnje. Bilo je jako puno dana kada nisam imao volje odraditi trening, ali bih se svejedno natjerao. Moram priznati da su mi ti treninzi bili najslađi jer bih onda shvatio koliko bi mi zapravo bilo žao da sam ostao u krevetu. U travnju sam sudjelovao na Triatlonskom kampu koji organizira Andrej Vištica, najuspješniji hrvatski triatlonac. Također sam i organizirao individualizirani pripremni kamp na Mallorci, gdje sam odradio ključne pripreme za bicikliranje. Za vrijeme kampova trenirao sam i više od dvadeset sati tjedno. Ujutro na dan natjecanja nisam bio nervozan, znao sam da ću utrku završiti bez obzira na sve i da me od ostvarenja snova dijeli borba s vlastitim tijelom duga 226 kilometara. Na kraju se sve isplatilo, osjećaj prolaska kroz cilj, kada je spiker rekao “Noah, you are an IRONMAN”, teško je opisati riječima. Imao sam najbolji rezultat u svojoj dobnoj skupini među Hrvatima: jedanaest sati i pedeset jedna minuta.
Disciplinu koja mi je bila potrebna za takve pothvate stekao sam na FSB-u. Iako sam cijelo djetinjstvo htio biti sportaš ili trener, krajem srednje škole ipak sam se opredijelio za strojarstvo. Tu su veliki utjecaj imali Formula 1 i Tony Stark, druga vrsta Ironmana. Tijekom studiranja bio sam i u FSB Racing Teamu, gdje sam razvijao aerodinamičke pakete, a kratko sam vrijeme i vodio podtim Aerodinamike. Sada završavam diplomski studij te se nadam nastaviti svoje obrazovanje na doktorskom studiju. Nisam siguran koji mi je sljedeći izazov, zasad igram nogomet za lokalni klub i stvaram planove za sljedeće natjecanje. Jednoga se dana želim natjecati na svjetskom IRONMAN prvenstvu, gdje su samo najizdržljiviji sportaši. Iskustvo mi je pokazalo da ništa u životu ne dolazi lako: ako želimo imati velike uspjehe, moramo biti spremni žrtvovati se i pokazati da možemo dati 110 posto kako bismo ostvarili svoje snove.
Noah Lukovnjak, student
Priča/Story: Tin Pranjić
Slika/Photo: Tin Pranjić
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After almost 12 hours, a 3.8- kilometre swim, a 180- kilometre bike ride, and a 42.2- kilometre run, I finally achieved my dream: I became an IRONMAN. Two years earlier, I would never have imagined accomplishing something like this, but then I came across a video of the Danish athlete Anders Hofman, who completed the first IRONMAN in Antarctica. That intrigued me greatly and encouraged me to research how I could also try a similar challenge. I wasn't even aware that such competitions were held in Croatia, but when I saw that the IRONMAN 70.3 half-triathlon was taking place in Poreč in eight months, I couldn't resist and impulsively signed up. Only after registering did I start creating a training plan. Although the training sessions were extremely exhausting and intensive, I managed to combine them with football and other obligations. I finished my first IRONMAN 70.3 in just over six hours, and the very next year in Luxembourg I improved my time and broke the six-hour mark.
After two half-triathlons, I realised it was time for a full one: IRONMAN Klagenfurt. First, I underwent physiological testing to find out how fit I was and what I should pay special attention to. Even though I had six and a half months to prepare, I knew that for a challenge like this, it was almost nothing, and I needed a solid plan to make the most of my time. Unfortunately, this meant I had to temporarily give up football. I divided the training plan into three cycles, and after each cycle I repeated the testing to get a more accurate picture of my condition. Then came the gruelling months of preparation, with daily training sessions, mostly twice a day. At the beginning, the stationary bike caused me the most trouble, as I spent hours and hours in monotonous riding. There were so many days when I had no will to train, but I forced myself anyway. I must admit that those training sessions were the sweetest, because I would then realise how sorry I would have been if I had stayed in bed. In April, I participated in a Triathlon camp organised by Andrej Vištica, the most successful Croatian triathlete. I also organised an individual preparation camp in Mallorca, where I did key cycling work preparations. During the camps, I trained for over twenty hours a week. On the morning of the competition itself, I wasn't nervous; I knew I would finish no matter what, and that only a 226- kilometre -long battle with my own body stood between me and realising my dreams. In the end, it all paid off. The feeling of crossing the finish line, when the announcer said “Noah, you are an IRONMAN,” is hard to describe in words. I had the best result in my age group among Croatians: eleven hours and fifty-one minutes.
The discipline I needed for such endeavours I acquired at FSB. Although I wanted to be an athlete or coach throughout my childhood, towards the end of high school I decided on mechanical engineering instead. Formula 1 and Tony Stark, another kind of Ironman, had a major influence on that decision. During my studies, I was also in the FSB Racing Team, where I developed aerodynamic packages, and for a short time, I led the Aerodynamics sub-team. Now I am finishing my master's degree and hope to continue my education with a doctoral programme. I'm not sure what my next challenge will be; for now, I play football for a local club and am making plans for the next competition. One day I want to compete in the IRONMAN World Championship, where only the most enduring athletes take part. Experience has shown me that nothing in life comes easily; if we want to achieve great success, we must be ready to make sacrifices and show that we can give 110% to make our dreams come true.
