Anjali Saraogi, Deepak Bandbe win 50k race at 2019 Tata Ultra

Anjali Saraogi and Deepak Bandbe took top honours in the 50 kilometer-race at Tata Ultra Marathon held February 24 in Lonavala.

Kolkata-based Anjali covered the distance in four hours 22 minutes and 50 seconds while Mumbai’s Deepak crossed the finish line in 3:43:06.

“ It was quite a tough race. Until 30k the course was along a road generally going uphill. After that for about 5-6 kilometers it was trail. Weather was not as cool as expected,’’ Deepak said.

He was hoping to better the timing of last year’s winner in the 50k category, Srikant Yadav (3:38:59) but fell short.

“ It was a very well organised event. Over the last five kilometers, there was hydration support for every kilometer,’’ Deepak said. “ Devendra, who finished second, was way ahead of me. I caught up with him at 40k and went past,” he said. Deepak decided to go easy in the early part of the race and that approach helped him.

Devendra Singh finished second with a timing of 3:50:52. Jitesh Vishwakarma came in third in 3:51:43.

“ It was a beautiful but tough course and a very well organised race. The run started at 2:30 AM. Being a woman it could have been scary running alone but there were bike-marshals through the entire course,” Anjali, winner among women in the 50k category, said.

The youngsters manning the aid stations were well trained in handing out hydration. “ Such small details make a huge difference to the runners, especially in tough conditions,’’ Anjali said.

She resorted to a walk-jog-run strategy as there were many uphill and downhill sections to negotiate along the 50k course, largely simulating the Comrades Marathon course. Tata Ultra is known to serve as training run for those attempting the ultramarathon in South Africa in June.

“ The strategy here has to be different from running a marathon. I walked quite a lot as it was not possible to run some of the stretches, which were quite steep,’’ Anjali said adding that grit and mental strength are central to completing a race like Tata Ultra.

Among women, Rajashri Tarihal came in second at 5:05:11. Preeti Lala (5:08:53) came in third.

In the 35k race category, podium finishers among men were Tukaram More (2:20:37), Anil Korvi (2:28:10) and Kamlya Bhagat (2:30:44). Women podium finishers were Shailja Sridhar (3:19:44), Kavita Chand (3:32:20) and Monica Becerril Ugalde (3:35:19).

2019 Navi Mumbai Half Marathon: Dnyaneshwar and Parshram triumph / Ladakhi runners top among women

With a timing of one hour, 12 minutes and 34 seconds, Dnyaneshwar Morgha and Parshram Laxman Bhoir were joint winners overall at the 2019 Tridhaatu Navi Mumbai Half Marathon

“We finished the race together,” Dnyaneshwar, a resident of village Vikramgad Khand in Thane district said. According to him, the race went off very well. However, Dnyaneshwar’s best timing in a half marathon is 1:08 hours.

A couple of weeks ago, Dnyaneshwar ran his first full marathon at a race in Chiplun in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. He finished the race in 2:33 hours. For more on Dnyaneshwar please try this link: https://shyamgopan.com/2017/12/01/the-dnyaneshwar-effect-vikramgads-runners/

At the Tridhaatu Navi Mumbai Half Marathon, Akshay Padwal finished third with a timing of 1:16:24.

Runners from Ladakh took top honours among women. Tashi Ladol finished first with a timing of 1:28:12 hours followed by Stanzin Chondol, who crossed the finish line in 1:30:40. Both runners are from Ladakh, part of the group supported by Rimo Expeditions and visiting Mumbai every year in time for the annual Mumbai Marathon. In third position was Sayli Kupate with a timing of 1:31:57.

Susannah Gill sets new world record in World Marathon Challenge

British runner Susannah Gill set a new world record in the World Marathon Challenge early February 2019, completing the feat in 24 hours 19 minutes nine seconds to beat the previous record.

The Challenge involves running seven marathons across seven continents in seven days.

The last of the seven marathons was in Miami, Florida, where Susannah finished the race in 3:26:34 hours.

Forty competitors participating in the World Marathon Challenge were flown around the world on chartered planes to complete the marathon distance on each continent.

American runner Mike Wardian was the winner among men, in the Challenge.

First ever woman finisher at HK Four Trails 298K Ultra Challenge

Nikki Han emerged the first ever woman finisher at the 2019 edition of Hong Kong Four Trails 298-kilometer Ultra Challenge.

She covered the course in 58 hours 20 minutes.

The Challenge entails running through four trails – Maclehose, Wilson, Hong Kong and Lantau – covering a distance of 298 kilometers.

Runners have to reach the end – post box in Mui Wo on Lantau Island – within 60 hours to be termed as “ finisher.’’ Those ending the run in under 72 hours are called “survivors.’’

This is a self-supported run and participants are not allowed to carry hiking poles and walking sticks.

Among men, Kristian Joergensen was the first to finish in a timing of 55 hours 52 minutes.

Nihal Baig tops among Indian triathletes at Colombo Ironman

Mumbai’s Nihal Ahamad Baig was the first to finish among Indian participants at the Colombo 70.3 Half Ironman, held on February 24, 2019.

Finishing the triathlon in four hours, 39 minutes and 17 seconds, Nihal ended thirteenth overall and third in his age category of 25 to 29 years.

“ I had trained with a target of 4:35 hours. I lost some time in each of the three disciplines. Nevertheless, I was able to improve my timing by five and a half minutes,’’ Nihal said.

The swim in the sea and was slightly difficult as it was a bit choppy, he said.

“ The cycling route was flat but there were three loops and during turns one had to slow down. By the time the run started it was 9:30 AM and it was hot and humid. After the halfway point I had to reduce my pace as the heat was too much,’’ Nihal said.

He had finished the Bahrain 70.3 Ironman in December 2018 in 4:44:48 hours.

With his Colombo finish, Nihal has earned a slot for the World Championships Ironman 70.3 to be held in Nice, France in September 2019.

Earlier in January 2019, Nihal had placed ninth overall and second in his age category (18-24 years) in the full marathon at the annual Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM).

This time at Colombo 70.3, over 90 Indian triathletes participated, according to unofficial reports.

Nisha Madgavkar from Goa also achieved a podium finish in her age category of 40-44 years with a timing of 5:44:41 hours.

The overall winner of Colombo 70.3 was Olivier Godart with a finishing time of 4:05:06 hours. Godart hails from Luxembourg but lives in Dubai.

Dinesh Kumar and Aarti Patil win at Hiranandani Thane Half Marathon 2019

Dinesh Kumar was winner in the half marathon distance at the seventh edition of Hiranandani Thane Half Marathon. He finished the race in 1:09:05 hours.

In second position was Dinesh A, who completed the race in 1:09:28 hours, followed by Deepak Kumbhar in third place with a timing of 1:11:25 hours.

Among women, Aarti Patil was the winner with a timing of 1:21:13 hours. She was followed by Saigeeta Naik (1:22:20) in second position and Manisha Salunkhe (1:26:07) in third position.

In the 10k run, the winner was Dharmendra Yadav, who finished the race in 32:14 minutes. In second position was Adesh A with a timing of 32:19 minutes followed by Chandrakant Manwadkar (32:54).

Among women in the 10k race Poonam Sonune (38:41 minutes) placed first followed by Varsha Bhavari (39:05) in second place and Rishu Singh (40:18) in third.

New world records for both men and women in 5k race; Abhishek Pal in fourth position

Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan set a new world record for women at the Herculis 5 k race in Monaco on February 17, 2019.

In the same race, Julien Wanders of Switzerland set a new world record for the men’s 5 k distance.

Sifan Hassan crossed the finish line in 14:44 minutes improving the previous world record of 15:48 minutes. Britain’s Laura Weightman finished second in 15:29 minutes.

According to details available on the website of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Julien Wanders finished his 5k race in 13:29 minutes, improving a second from the previous world record of 13:29 minutes.

In the same race, 22-year-old Abhishek Pal of India finished in fourth position with a timing of 14:04 minutes.

On February 8, 2019, Julien Wanders had broken Mo Farah’s European half marathon record at the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) half-marathon in United Arab Emirates.

Julien finished in 59:13 minutes beating Mo Farah’s previous record by 21 seconds.

At the 5k race in Monaco, Sondre Moen of Norway finished second with a timing of 13:37 minutes.

The 5km road distance was introduced as a world record event in November 2017, with the inaugural record to be recognized after 1 January 2018 if the performances were equal to or better than 13:10 for men and 14:45 for women. If no such performances were achieved in 2018, the best performances of 2018 were to be recognized on 1 January 2019.

New course record at Ultra Spice

Lt Col Bharat Pannu set a new course record in the 1780-kilometer solo category of the 2019 edition of Ultra Spice, the annual ultra-cycling event organized by Inspire India. The race spans Goa-Ooty-Goa.

Bharat completed the race that commenced and ended at Bogmalo Beach, Goa, in 95 hours 47 minutes, breaking the previous record set by Col Srinivas Gokulnath.

Ultra Spice is a composite of three distances – 1750 km, 1000 km and 600 km – all starting and finishing in Bogmalo, Goa. It has both solo and relay team categories. Racers must have support vehicle and crew.

In the 1750 km and 1000 km categories, two support vehicles with a minimum of two drivers in each vehicle, is mandatory.

Solo racers, who finish within stipulated time, qualify for Race Across America (RAAM), the ultra-cycling event held every year in the US featuring a ride from the country’s west coast to the east.

Kabir Rachure from Navi Mumbai placed second in the 1780 km solo category this year with a timing of 100 hours 46 minutes. The cut-off for this category is 120 hours.

Karthik Padmanabhan finished third with a timing of 119 hours 22 minutes.

Ila Patil was the first and only woman participant to finish the 1780 km race. She finished the race in 137 hours 17 minutes, outside the cut-off timing of 128 hours.

In the two-person team category for the distance of 1780 km, the winner was Team Pedal Demons comprising Adesh Kale and Dhanraj Helambe. They finished in 85 hours 24 hours, well within the cut-off timing of 96 hours.

Mayank Tripathi won the 1000 km solo category finishing the race in 54 hours 32 minutes within the cut-off timing of 56 hours.

Team Gear and Beer comprising Kaustubh Dandekar and Rohit Dandekar won the two-person team category finishing the race in 47 hours 45 minutes within the cut-off timing of 48 hours.

In the solo men’s 600 km race, Shlomi Kot won in the age category of 50 years and above, finishing in 27 hours 25 minutes against the cut-off time of 32 hours. Vivek Shah finished the race for solo men in age group of 18-49 years in 29 hours four minutes against the cut-off timing of 30 hours.

Delirious W.E.S.T / Breeze Sharma participates in first edition of the race

At the time of writing, the first edition of Australia’s 200 mile-ultramarathon, Delirious W.E.S.T, was going on.

The course of this ultramarathon is entirely on the Bibbulmun Track in the South West and Great Southern regions of Western Australia, from Northcliffe to Albany.

The event commenced on February 20, 2019 and was due to end at 3 PM on February 24 with a 104 hour cut-off.

India’s Breeze Sharma (Brijmohan Sharma), mountaineer and ultra-runner, was among 43 participants at the inaugural edition.

The event’s course is through forests, coastal scrub, beaches and along the Bibbulmun track.

At the time of writing, Breeze Sharma had covered over 286 kilometers.

Update: As per results available on the Delirious W.E.S.T Facebook page, Breeze Sharma completed the ultramarathon in 95 hours 39 minutes.

(The author, Latha Venkatraman, is an independent journalist based in Mumbai.)