Retired executive assistant, 63, Mumbai

 
On the run!

13 years

The beginnings

I am an ardent runner. I took up long-distance running at 50 after starting with swimming, dancing and yoga! I met my coach Savio D’Souza at my workplace, Hindustan Unilever. He was appointed by the company as a fitness consultant and coach for company employees. Savio introduced me to running and I have never looked back.

First marathon

Half-marathon at the 2006 Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon

No. of marathons

34 half-marathons, 8 full marathons, 2 ultra marathons (podium winner 34 times)

Personal best

01:59:41 (Airtel Delhi Half Marathon); 04:16:13 (Boston Full Marathon)

Running means….

It is my passion and a way to meet, greet and connect with people every day. It helps me unclutter my mind and prepares me to take up any challenge thrown at me. I believe pursuing a sport is the best way to bring about the required discipline in life; it makes one healthy in body and mind.

The challenge

My first half-marathon at the 2006 Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon was a run I will never forget. It taught me discipline and made me a strong runner. As it was my first ever, I got carried away and ran the first half very fast. I did not take care of my hydration and struggled at the halfway mark. In spite of this, I completed the marathon with sheer determination.

The high!

With each run, my enthusiasm for running and my appetite to better my own timing increase.

Training

I run five days a week with two days of rest and strengthening. I train at Marine Drive and Worli Seaface in Mumbai. My hill runs are at Peddar Road, Altamount Road, etc. My coach Savio D’Souza is responsible for my transition from the half to the full marathon. When I started doing the ultras, my coach Sandeep Bhandarkar was a great support.

Top gear

Garmin watch

Health issues

My bone density has been very poor for a long time but running has helped arrest the decline in time.

Marathon moment

In 2015, at 60, I completed the Comrades Marathon (Up Run) in South Africa, in 11 hrs and 34 min, covering a distance of 87.7 km. The route has five major hills and numerous small ones. I came 15th out of 66 women in the 60+ category. In 2016, I completed the Khardung La Challenge, the world’s highest and among the toughest ultra marathons. I finished the 72-km race in 13 hours and 15 minutes, and was placed first in the Women-Veteran category and second in the Open Non-Ladakhi category. In April 2017, at 62, I qualified for the prestigious Boston Marathon and completed it with a personal best of 04:16:13. I am the only Indian to have got a top 100 ranking in my category at Boston this year.

The goal

I am now concentrating on speed to better my timing. In the next three years, I would like to finish the six majors—I have completed Boston and will go for
London, New York, Berlin, Tokyo and Chicago.

The age effect

One matures with age—and so does my running. My best runs have come after the age of 60 and there are more to come.

Message for senior runners

If I can run, so can other seniors. Train with a proper coach to prevent injuries. Try and run in a group as it motivates you to do better.

Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
November 2017

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