For most, Ironman 70.3 is a race. For BHIVE Workspace Founder & CEO, Shesh Rao Paplikar, it became a mirror; one that reflected endurance, balance, and purpose, the very foundations on which BHIVE has been built. 

The 19-year promise that came full circle 

In 2007, while living in New York, Shesh ran his first full marathon; the New York Marathon. It was a bucket-list dream inspired by the business leaders of that era, people like Anil Ambani who made long-distance running part of their identity. 

Back then, triathlons weren’t common among Indian professionals, but Shesh had already set a quiet goal for himself: someday, he’d do an Ironman. That dream was shelved when entrepreneurship took over. Between 2014 and 2024, as BHIVE grew from a single workspace in Bengaluru to one of India’s leading coworking brands, fitness faded into the background. 

Until one small device changed everything. 

The Whoop that started it all 

Earlier this year, Shesh finally gave in to a long-pending suggestion from a friend to buy a Whoop fitness tracker. What started as a simple gadget soon became a dashboard for his body for data, patterns, recovery scores, strain levels and it reignited something.

“I’ve always looked at dashboards as a founder for revenue, occupancy, and performance. Suddenly, I was looking at my own data the same way. That changed everything.”

The Whoop was followed by a conversation with his neighbor, Shyam, who happened to be training for Ironman Goa. “He just said, ‘You already swim, you should do this with me.’ It planted a seed. A few more conversations later, I said yes.”

Within days, Shesh had publicly declared his intent to train for Ironman 70.3 Goa; a 1.9 km swim, 90 km bike ride, and 21.1 km run, totaling 113 km of pure endurance.

But he wasn’t going to do it alone. 

A team that races together 

BHIVE employees – Melvin Muthanna, Anikethan HVU, Adishesh Sandeep Murthy, Ravindra MK, and Rithick Shivaji soon joined Shesh on this journey. Together, they began early-morning swims, weekend cycling on Bengaluru’s outskirts, and long runs at Cubbon Park.

“It wasn’t just fitness anymore,” Shesh says. “It became an experiment in Work-Life Harmony which is how to balance ambition, leadership, and personal growth.” 

Discipline, not intensity 

Balancing Ironman training with leading a fast-growing company wasn’t easy. It demanded more than motivation; it required structure.

“Training forced me to rethink my entire schedule. I’ve always been used to long work hours and minimal sleep. But endurance sport doesn’t allow that. You can’t outwork bad rest.” 

So, he reengineered his days introducing structured sleep, early workouts, and better recovery practices. Interestingly, this mirrored what he’d long believed about business: growth doesn’t come from constant acceleration, but from consistency, clarity, and pacing. 

“Endurance isn’t about crossing the final finish line; it’s about showing up and practicing every day. The same qualities that got me through Ironman which is discipline, planning, and self-belief are what helped me build BHIVE.” – Shesh Rao Paplikar 

Race Day: Pain, Planning, and Purpose 

The morning started strong with a confident swim. But halfway through, Shesh was hit by an unexpected jellyfish sting causing swelling, pain, and cramps followed. 

Most would’ve stopped. He didn’t. 

He adapted his pace, managed nutrition carefully, and powered through the 90 km bike ride and 21 km run. Seven hours, fifty-one minutes, and fifty-four seconds later — he crossed the finish line. 

“It wasn’t pretty,” he laughs. “But it was real.” 

That realness of the unpredictable moments, the forced adaptability, the humility of the body was what made the experience transformative.  

When Endurance Becomes Leadership?

In hindsight, Ironman wasn’t just an athletic achievement, it was a masterclass in leadership. The parallels were unmistakable:

• Long-term thinking over instant wins: “Building BHIVE was never a sprint. It’s taken 11 years of steady, deliberate growth. Ironman reminded me why patience matters.” 

• Discipline over motivation: “Motivation fades. Discipline endures.” 

• Purpose-driven resilience: “When your ‘why’ is strong enough, your body and mind will follow.” 

These lessons are now being consciously embedded into BHIVE’s culture not through speeches, but through lived examples. 

Work-Life Harmony: The Philosophy That Connects It All 

The Ironman experience deepened Shesh’s belief in Work-Life Harmony, a principle BHIVE has long championed. 

He explains: 

“Work-life balance is personal. For one person, it’s leaving work at 6 PM. For another, it’s working longer but loving what they do. Harmony is about alignment when your work, body, and mind move in rhythm.” 

At BHIVE, that philosophy isn’t just rhetoric. It’s built into the environment: 

• Dedicated sports zones across BHIVE properties. 

• BHIVE Premier Leagues for cricket, football, and now pickleball. 

• Partnerships with hospitals like Narayana Hridayalaya for free annual health check-ups for all employees. 

• Showers and bike racks in offices to encourage cycling commutes. 

• Community fitness events like weekend runs in Cubbon Park through the BHIVE Fitness Club. 

The idea is to create workspaces that don’t just power businesses, but also the people behind them.  

Technology, AI, and the future of fitness 

Perhaps most interestingly, Shesh’s Ironman preparation had a tech edge. 

As a strong advocate for AI adoption, he used ChatGPT extensively from structuring training plans and tracking progress to interpreting performance data and planning nutrition. 

“I’d upload my Whoop data, describe my training week, and ask ChatGPT to design my next cycle. It was like having a personal assistant who analyzed my recovery and helped me plan smarter.” 

This tech-enabled approach mirrors BHIVE’s own operational philosophy leveraging intelligent tools to create efficient systems, whether in fitness, work, or management. 

Beyond The Finish Line 

As the first flex workspace founder in the world to complete Ironman 70.3, Shesh has already inspired a wave of curiosity within BHIVE’s ecosystem. Employees are signing up for fitness events, members are discussing recovery hacks, and wellness has become an open conversation not an afterthought. 

Looking ahead, Shesh hopes to encourage more BHIVE team members and even workspace members to take up personal endurance goals be it a 5K, a marathon, or even a triathlon. 

“Fitness isn’t about Ironman. It’s about discovering your own potential one step, one kilometer, one habit at a time.” 

The Bigger Picture 

What Ironman Goa proved wasn’t just that a founder could push physical limits but that discipline, purpose, and endurance can translate into better leadership, stronger teams, and sustainable organizations. 

At BHIVE, this isn’t just a story of athletic grit, it’s a metaphor for how the company is built: one milestone at a time, with resilience and rhythm. 

Because the finish line, much like success in business isn’t an end.
It’s simply the start of another race.