Businessman, 75, Mumbai

 
On the run!

12 years

The beginnings

When I started—a friend had invited me to run with him—I couldn’t run from one lamp post to the next. I joined in to keep him company and talk. It was an enjoyable activity and he needed a partner. So, essentially, we were running for each other.

First marathon

Half-marathon at the 2009 Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon

No. of half-marathons

8

Personal best

02:28:00

The challenge

About four months before the 2017 marathon, I suffered from Chikungunya and was in a really bad shape. People scared me, saying it would take a year to recover. After training for so long, you feel really bad. But I decided to take things slowly. When the day came, I felt I could do it—and I did! I was determined to take the pain and run.

The high!

Every year you do it, the better you feel. People tell me that I have to give it up at some time. I say, ‘Next year.’ But I’ve been saying that every year!

Running means….

I like to inspire people. If I keep running, I bring in more people—even those younger than me—to the sport.

Training

During marathon season, training goes on for three months. I run from Nariman Point to Bandra every few days, coupled with workouts at the gym, uphill-downhill, outdoor treks and sessions of squash. At other times, I run 8-10 km twice a week and play squash regularly. After running the marathon in January, my group of 40-50 runners makes a celebratory run to the ISKCON temple in Juhu, 29 km away.

Motivation

I like to say it’s the best way to run away from my wife! Seriously, though, we start our day together with a cup of chai; then she’s off cycling and I’m running. Other than that, I run in a group and we don’t want to ditch each other.

Marathon moment

At one marathon, with hardly 1.5 km to go, I got a catch in my leg. A young runner guided me with some exercises for relief. Not just that, he accompanied me till the end with words of encouragement.

Top gear

Asics shoes

The goal

My goal is to get people running so that on Saturday nights, they are not out—they are waiting for Sunday morning to come!

The age effect

People sometimes say, ‘Wow, you can do more than me!’ That’s when I think that age has affected them, not me.

Message for silver runners

See that you enjoy yourself, on the road, beach or at the gym!

Photo: Haresh Patel
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
November 2017

• KHUSHRU PATEL
• VINOD KAUL
• ELSIE NANJI
• P K N NAMBIAR
• PERVIN BATLIVALA
• KAMAL KALRA
• NISHA SUTARIA
• MAHADEV SAMJHISKAR
• PREMANAND RAMANI
• ASHOK KALLA
• SUNEETHA PRASANNA
• KRISHNA AGARWAL
• RAKESH MITTAL
• JAYANT DAVDA