Karl Vivot, researcher at the IGBMC, participates in the world triathlon championship!
Swimming 1.9km in less than 30 minutes, cycling 90km in 2h20 and running 21km in 1h20: these are the performances that allowed Karl Vivot to qualify for the IronMan70.3 World Triathlon Championships. This post-doctoral researcher of the Ricci team works on the control of energy homeostasis and is as passionate about research on diabetes and obesity as he is about sports. Currently looking for sponsors to support him in this adventure, we present you his journey.
A scientist passionate about sports since childhood
Since his childhood, Karl has always been a sports lover, which led him to join a sport-study handball section in high school. It was during his postdoctoral training in Montreal that running became a real passion. In 2013, he participated in his first half-marathon in Montreal with the objective of raising funds for research and finished in the top 200 among more than 1000 participants. Taking a liking to exercise, he participates in this sport and charity event every year, preparing himself more and more seriously until passing under the 1h30 mark to run 21.1km.
Returning to France in 2016, Karl joined a triathlon team in 2017. "I wanted to meet people who share my passion and I wanted to improve with a supervised, more structured training". Thus, to his running practice, he adds swimming and cycling. Every week, the researcher swallows the kilometers: "my weekly sport routine is about 250 to 300 km of cycling, 70 km of running and 10 km of swimming".
"I qualified for the Ironman70.3 in Les Sables d'Olonne, in July 2022", explains Karl. While the race gathers 2216 amateur participants, he arrives 19th out of all the triathletes, and 6th in his age category, only 5 minutes from the podium, "that's nothing on a race of more than 4 hours" he says. This ranking allowed him to get his ticket for the IronMan70.3 Triathlon World Championship which will take place in Saint George, Utah, USA in October 2022.
A passion for research that accompanies him in his sports practice
Currently studying the function of a genetic variant associated with type 2 diabetes, the researcher has discovered its role in appetite regulation. Combining his passion for research and sport, his expertise in terms of physiology and metabolism is "very useful to understand how to train efficiently by managing the balance between energy intake and expenditure".
Today, to realize his dream and compete with the best triathletes in the world, Karl needs to raise the sum of 10 000€. As the race will take place in Saint George, USA, the investment is quite substantial. Indeed, "the purchase and transport of equipment is a significant cost", to which must be added registration, accommodation, food and transport.
Thanks to the mobilization of his entourage and more particularly of his colleagues at the IGBMC, Karl benefits from the support of local companies, which sponsor him to the tune of 1 500€ for the moment. If you wish to support him or if you have contacts to propose, you can write to him at the following address: vivotk@igbmc.fr.
To know exactly what the funds will be used for, you can consult this document. You can also participate to finance it directly thanks to its Leetchi fundraising.