Srinivas Gokulnath (Photo: courtesy Srinivas / Facebook page)

Article on cyclist Srinivas Gokulnath, the first Indian to complete Race Across America (RAAM) in the solo category 

The car slowed down, took a second to assess safety and then continued on.

It was a move that reminded of railway level crossings. Except, this was a runway and hovering some distance from the car, to this side and that, were helicopters. It is not always that you drive across a runway in India. Where Lieutenant Colonel Srinivas Gokulnath lived and worked, it was daily ritual. We were at the army’s Combat Aviation Training School, built around Nashik’s old airport and runway. Meeting Srinivas had been on the agenda for some time.

On June 13, 2017, three Indian cyclists had been among those assembled at Oceanside, California. They were registered to compete in the solo category of the Race Across America (RAAM), one of the most grueling endurance events on the planet. RAAM requires participants to ride some 4800 km from the US west coast to the east (it ends in Annapolis, Maryland) within a cut-off period of 12 days. It is a single stage race and riders could be on the saddle for as much as 22 hours a day, repeating it day after day in a merciless grind all the way to the finish line. The race features a mix of terrain. It starts at sea level, crosses mountains and zips across the flats of the North American prairie. It also tackles varying weather conditions typical of the country side it is passing through. Simply put the race gifts the rider a battering and tests his / her determination like few events do. That day in June, Samim Rizvi attempting his fourth RAAM, Srinivas on his second outing at RAAM and Amit Samarth were all on a quest to be the first Indian to complete RAAM in the solo category.

Cycling at The Deccan Cliffhanger (TDC), which served as qualifier for RAAM (Photo: courtesy Srinivas / Facebook page)

Although working in Nashik, Srinivas hails from Bengaluru. He was born in November 1980 and raised in that city. His father who was a metallurgist owned a bicycle. An active youngster who took part in games and athletics at school, Srinivas was attached to that cycle and it played host to many early outings. However there was nothing to indicate a serious interest in cycling, brewing. Srinivas went on to attend medical school and become a doctor. He worked for two years in Bengaluru; then he joined the Indian Army. The early years of an army officer’s posting are typically in areas that stretch his professional ability on the field. Srinivas was posted to Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) for four years. He also served on Siachen Glacier, known as the world’s highest battle field. Following this stint, he returned to Bengaluru to do his post-graduation in aerospace medicine. He had bought himself a single speed Hercules MTB and trips on it brought him in touch with members of Bengaluru’s cycling community. One of his friends suggested that he invest in a road bike. Then, in a twist of the sort seen in the lives of interesting people, that friend – Vijay – got Srinivas a road bike and told him that he can pay him back later. The bike was a Giant TCR 3. It is a model much respected by riders; the Internet has reviews in praise of it. Srinivas felt he should do justice to the road bike. He started riding long distance, sometimes touching 200-300 km. It was during this phase from 2009-2011, spent studying aerospace medicine in Bengaluru and taking the Giant TCR 3 out on spins, that Srinivas realized he had a fondness for endurance cycling. It was also at this point in his life that he got to hear of RAAM. He heard of Samim Rizvi attempting it. The idea of RAAM attracted Srinivas. But before RAAM, he wanted a domestic challenge. For that, he picked a cycle trip from Leh to Kanyakumari. It connected India’s north tucked beyond the main axis of the Himalaya to the southern tip of the peninsula. In 2012, Srinivas was posted back to J&K.

A troubled region, army postings to J&K can be restrictive. For doctor and emergent cyclist with road bike in tow, space to practice was limited. “ I couldn’t go out and train on the road. But there was a 2.8 km-perimeter loop of the garrison which was possible and I kept doing that,’’ Srinivas said. Meanwhile the planned expedition from Leh to Kanyakumari simmered at the back of his mind. Then and later, Srinivas would struggle with a paradigm problem in endurance cycling. Endurance based-activities typically take person out of the crowd and away into solitary existence. In army and economically resurgent India with its bank of potential sponsors of sport, `solitary’ and ` solo’ attract much less than `team.’ There is plenty of buzz these days about corporate team building and team based pursuits. Attempting something that is the stuff of lone battle fetches no support.

From TDC (Photo: courtesy Srinivas / Facebook page)

Assembling the building blocks of the Leh-Kanyakumari cycle expedition was Srinivas’s first tryst with the real paradigm challenge of what he had embarked upon. He understood that nobody was going to support him. So he largely invested his own funds. Being a multi-day trip he needed a support vehicle. Help came in the form of an enterprising villager from Sharifabad. This person hadn’t ventured beyond the Kashmir valley and wanted to see India. Owner of a Mahindra utility vehicle, he agreed to bring that along as support vehicle and pitched in to assist Srinivas. On September 2, 2014, the expedition commenced from Leh. Weather in the initial phase was bad; there was rain and snow. Back in Srinagar, there was flooding; they got news of this at Manali. The expedition pushed on. Two weeks later, on September 16, cyclist and support crew reached Kanyakumari. The trip was formally recognized by the Limca Book of Records as the fastest passage yet from Leh to Kanyakumari on a bicycle. One project done, the next one – RAAM – took hold.

Shortly after the Leh-Kanyakumari expedition, the army dispatched Srinivas to do a course in Pune. There he came to know of The Deccan Cliffhanger (TDC), scheduled for November 2014. On its Facebook page, TDC describes itself as a 400 mile ultra-cycling race from Pune to Goa. According to Srinivas, if you cycled 647 km at TDC in 32 hours, then you qualified for participation in RAAM. This was an excellent opportunity to move towards attempting RAAM. Unfortunately he was in Pune to do a course; he had no cycle with him. A friend in Bengaluru sent him a BMC road bike. Additionally, he asked around in the Pune cycling community and they responded loaning him a Merida road bike. He now had two bikes for TDC; one to ride at any given time in the race, the other for back up. A bunch of college students volunteered to be his support crew. Participating in TDC, Srinivas covered the required 647 km in 31 hours. He qualified for RAAM. “ For me, that TDC is special,’’ Srinivas said. From December 2014 onward, Srinivas’s RAAM phase officially commenced. It became an obsession. To train and prepare, he requested the army for posting to a peaceful area. His choice was Pune where the Army Sports Institute with its excellent training facilities is located. In July 2015, as sought, Srinivas was transferred from J&K. The army moved him to Nashik and the Combat Aviation Training School there.

At the start of 2017 RAAM (Photo: courtesy Srinivas)

Maharashtra’s geography is essentially a study of two main features – a relatively narrow coast sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the hills of the Western Ghats, and the sprawling Deccan Plateau, which lay beyond the hills. Nashik, located 167 km north east of Mumbai, is an ancient pilgrimage center and in the present times, a major center of industry and agricultural produce. It is at a higher elevation than Mumbai next to the sea. Kasara, which is one of main outlying stations of Mumbai’s suburban railway network, is at an elevation of 915 feet. The next major halt from here, en route to Nashik, is Igatpuri by which time you would have climbed over the edge of the Western Ghats and reached 2000 feet in overall elevation. Igatpuri, now famous as a center for Vipasana meditation, has always been a favorite with trekkers in Maharashtra. One of the state’s classic treks connecting the hill forts of Alang, Kulang and Madangad, is staged here. The region is also home to the state’s highest peak, Kalsubai (5400 feet). Nashik is 47 km away from Igatpuri. It has an elevation of 2300 feet and given the combination of hills and elevation, a fairly temperate climate year round.

Mid-August 2017, my train from Mumbai reached Nashik on time. On the three wheeler ride from the railway station to the area in town called CBS, three things were quickly apparent. The terrain around had a spread-out feel to it; there was a sense of space. The roads were broad and traffic, still manageable, compared to the grind and gridlock congested Mumbai tends to be. There were cycles on Nashik’s roads. With its roads, availability of space and hills in the neighborhood, Nashik looked ideal to train in cycling and running. In 2015, two brothers from Nashik, Hitendra Mahajan and Mahendra Mahajan – both of them doctors – had become the first Indians to complete RAAM in the team category. Race in mind, riding hunched down on his road bike with focus narrowed to road and cadence, Nashik’s geographical blessings appeared to have eluded Srinivas’s attention. He didn’t feel distance cyclists owe as much, to where they are from as to whether they wish to train and excel at what they do. As strange as that perspective may seem, one needs to identify that faith in self as coming from an individual who moves around the country on work. In such predicament, the stuff of roots is in oneself, not in any place.

From 2017 RAAM (Photo: courtesy Srinivas)

At the Combat Aviation Training School, work load was high for the army doctor. However he managed to find time for training and trained systematically. Srinivas is the type who likes having a goal. It helps him focus. RAAM was goal. He trained 5-6 hours daily, morning and evening. But there was a problem. It wasn’t a training regimen properly structured for the needs of RAAM. Aside from the Mahajan brothers who he spoke to and got some idea of RAAM thereby, there wasn’t anyone else to help him devise training schedules or prepare a race strategy. Besides the Mahajan brothers had participated in the team category; Srinivas had enrolled in the solo category. The two are different. Plus there was the question of raising the funds needed to go to the US, have a support crew, support vehicle and participate in the race. Attending to funds, distracts from training and preparation. Old paradigm problem haunting him, Srinivas had no sponsors. He invested his own money; he also borrowed. Given the nature and stature of the race, he acquired a new road bike – a NeilPryde Bura SL. “ It was expensive but when I saw it at a shop in Mumbai, I immediately felt a link to it,’’ Srinivas said. According to information available on the Internet, NeilPryde Bikes, based in UK, is part of a Hong Kong based sports group by the same name that had longstanding presence in windsurfing before it entered the bicycle business. The Bura SL was launched in 2012 and revamped in 2016. Made of carbon fiber, it features NeilPryde’s lightest frame weighing in at 750 gm. For back up, Srinivas had a Polygon road bike. Polygon is a bicycle manufacturer from Indonesia. Its dealer in India is Bengaluru-based Wheel Sports, whose owner Venkatesh Shivarama is a former state level cyclist and a nodal figure in Bengaluru’s cycling community.

Amid the struggle to make it to RAAM, Srinivas had one significant help. His wife, Prafulla, also works as a doctor at the army base in Nashik. She decided to be part of his support crew. Prafulla had her own reasons for joining the crew. Like Srinivas, she hailed from Bengaluru. Unlike him, she had no background in sports in her growing up years. She does not cycle. When they met for the first time, Srinivas told her of his interest in cycling. She accepted cycling as part of the overall person, Srinivas is. “ One thing I was worried about was his safety,’’ she said. In J&K, Srinivas’s cycling happened within the garrison complex and army bases are well managed. Then he briefly took leave of that environment to cycle from Leh to Kanyakumari, a trip Prafulla wasn’t part of. By the time RAAM set in as obsession, Srinivas was training regularly on the highway. This worried Prafulla. Besides, races in ultra-cycling tend to push a person to the limits of what he / she can do. She felt that rather than worry about his safety from far, it made sense to be with him on his races. That’s what prompted her to join the support crew for RAAM. A doctor – that too someone who knows you well – in the support crew, is a definite asset. Srinivas had seven people in his support crew; six who travelled from India plus an old friend from school who was based in the US.  “ My focus in 2016 was to get to RAAM’s starting line. That I did. I was relieved when the race got underway,’’ he said.

From 2017 RAAM (Photo: courtesy Srinivas)

From 2017 RAAM (Photo: courtesy Srinivas)

The 2016 RAAM was an eye opener. “ My focus, which had been on reaching the starting line, wasn’t strong towards the finish. I was riding strong but not to race expectations. I didn’t have a strategy, no solid plan. I learnt by participating. In the thick of the race, I realized this is what RAAM is all about. I pushed myself to just 450 miles short of the finish. There was 26 hours remaining. But my mind started acting up and I succumbed to it,’’ Srinivas said. One of those unhappy with the outcome was Prafulla. She didn’t like the fact that they had thrown away 26 hours. She suggested that they take a look at the finish line, attend the post-race banquet and learn more. The team also decided that they would attempt RAAM again, the following year.

Gearing up for the 2017 RAAM, Srinivas and Prafulla began connecting with people who had completed the race before. One of them was Alberto Blanco, a former RAAM finisher. Back in 2011, riding a NeilPryde he had completed the race in fourth position earning the RAAM Rookie of the Year title. During this race Alberto had suffered a severe case of `Shermer’s Neck’ (complete shutdown of tired neck muscles). He cycled with a neck brace his crew fashioned from available materials, following onset of the problem. Incidentally, the history of Shermer’s Neck – a condition unique to ultra-cyclists – is strongly linked to RAAM. Michael Shermer after whom the condition is named was a finisher in the very first RAAM held in 1982 (at that time it was called Great American Bike Race). He returned for the 1983 edition and in that race, at about 2000 miles he discovered he was unable to keep his head up. He was forced to prop his chin up with the palm of his hand and keep cycling. He finished the race so. Despite enduring a great deal of pain till he finished the race, Shermer is said to have recovered fully within two days. Articles on the Internet say that Shermer’s Neck is usually reported within 300 miles to 1000 miles of a race and once it sets in, there is no way out except to cope with it. The brace Alberto’s crew fashioned, after he developed Shermer’s Neck, was meant to hold his head up because his exhausted neck muscles simply couldn’t do the job. In photos from the race, you see what appears to be a metal rod harnessed to cyclist’s waist and travelling up his spine and over his helmet, with a sling at its end to support the head. Alberto became Srinivas’s coach for the 2017 RAAM. Another finisher, Chris O’Keefe, took charge as crew chief. Chris had been a finisher in the 2016 RAAM, which he completed second in his age category. This time, Srinivas’s training had direction and a race strategy was being devised. There was analysis of the 2016 race to find out what had gone wrong.

From 2017 RAAM (Photo: courtesy Srinivas)

What remained unchanged however was sponsorship. Some brands supported but the bulk of the expense was met using Srinivas’s own money and loans provided by friends. Chris and others members of the support crew allowed Srinivas to borrow cycling accessories he needed. They also didn’t hesitate to extend financial assistance. Hired expertise is integral to many endurance events. For instance, runners going for the Badwater Ultramarathon in California’s Death Valley often avail the guidance of those who have successfully completed the race or crewed in it, for a fee. Srinivas described his relation with Alberto and Chris as more of an emotional-connect than a formal arrangement; it is a description which reveals the comfort he felt. The support crew was 11-strong, including four persons retained from the 2016 attempt. “ This time we had a strong team. I felt strong and my focus was sharp,’’ Srinivas said.

A punishing race like RAAM takes a toll on bicycle. Typically, there is a lot of wear and tear that happens in bicycle racing. Bottom brackets, chain and cassette – they have to be replaced as required in the course of the race. You have to have at least two bikes for RAAM. Some participants go in with three. Srinivas decided to acquire a new NeilPryde to use as back-up for the earlier one. He got in touch with the CEO of the company, who provided it at reduced price; the bike was again a Bura SL. The team’s bike mechanic in 2016 and 2017 was Venkatesh Shivarama. Venkatesh a former state level cyclist and manager of the national cycling team, met Srinivas during the latter’s days in Bengaluru, spent getting a hang of distance cycling. Races brought them together; Venkatesh is deeply involved in races. He is not as much a fan of endurance cycling as he is of racing. Venkatesh also owns and operates Wheel Sports, among Bengaluru’s best known bicycle shops. Committed to cycling, it was his affection and respect for Srinivas as a person and faith in his ability that made him volunteer to be Srinivas’s bike mechanic for RAAM in 2016 and 2017. According to Venkatesh, when it comes to the bicycle, RAAM is not as punishing a race as say – the Tour de France, where multiple stages with tight cut-off times, repeated day after day, take a considerable toll on a bike.  Given RAAM is a single stage race, the challenge is to cycle with very little rest and make it across the USA within the cut-off time of 12 days for solo cyclists. Further, what really inflicts damage on bicycles is riding off-road. RAAM is a road race and American roads are good. “ My daily task was to check the bike’s tyres and tyre pressure; ensure the tyres are in good condition. I had to make sure all the gear combinations and the Garmin GPS were working. Then there are the bike’s lights. When you are riding on the road, lights are very important. I used to replace them every 6-8 hours,” he said.

From 2017 RAAM (Photo: courtesy Srinivas)

The 2017 race was a roller coaster. Although he started strong, somewhere past the 90 mile-mark Srinivas vomited three to four times. From thereon, his intake of food and fluids started dropping. His plan had been to sleep three hours during the day, every 24 hours. He took his first break for sleep at Salome in Arizona. However from time station five onward, his average speed began to decline and he was soon at the point where he himself told his crew members that he needed IV fluids. From being in the top 10, he had by now dropped to 27th position. “ Thereafter, it took me seven time stations to recover and get back to a semblance of riding normally. I felt recovered only by time station 16,’’ Srinivas said. Recovering well was critical. In endurance races, rider and crew feed off each other’s optimism. A struggling Srinivas had ended up making his crew lose faith in him. He had to regain their confidence. Cranking up their efforts, the crew fed him 450-500 calories and a liter of fluids every hour. About 10,000 calories and 20 liters of water were consumed every day. Everything was meticulously recorded. The hard work paid off. Towards the latter half of the race, Srinivas began registering negative splits or better speed in the concluding portions of a race. That was tremendously motivating, coming as it did after a couple of thousand kilometers covered on the road. He kept his focus from time station to time station, never thinking beyond the next time station on the course. “ I knew I was getting stronger towards the finish line,’’ he said. At one point in time, Srinivas improved his position in the race to almost seventh; he also overcame challenges, among them – a crash, the result of a pothole on the road. Tricky weather notwithstanding, his strength was on the flats. He flew along the prairies of Kansas. Eleven days, 18 hours and 45 minutes after commencing the race in Oceanside, Srinivas completed the 2017 RAAM in Annapolis, the first Indian to do so within cut-off time in the solo category. That June, Amit Samarth followed Srinivas to the finish line, becoming the second Indian to earn a solo finish at RAAM. Samim had to withdraw from the race in its initial phase itself.

Most people betray a sense of themselves in how they communicate. I got my first sense of Srinivas when I texted and called him up seeking an appointment. His text messages never exceeded two or three words; the conversations on the phone were short and to the point. During the interview, conducted in his office, his recollection of his life and his association with the world of words bordered impatience, as though he needed to get down and do something. Endurance cycling is a mosaic of distance and timing. I asked Srinivas if he would be happy pushing himself merely on distance like a touring cyclist does. No – he replied firmly. He needed to be pushed. He needed to ride hard. Only then would his energy get channelized, find release. Pushing the envelope is a must for what he sought as experience. That’s why grueling endurance races attract. His family has been supportive; they endured sacrifices. His wife became part of his support crew and when she does so – as at RAAM – their child is left behind in the care of grandparents. Further his training and periodic obsession with races, robs the family of adequate time together. “ No doubt, there is an element of selfishness I carry along, pursuing projects in endurance cycling,’’ Srinivas said.

2017 RAAM; Srinivas at the finish line (Photo: courtesy Srinivas)

RAAM done, Srinivas had set his sights on the solo category at the 2018 Race Across Europe (RACE). Prafulla was planning to be in the support crew. This race covers 4722 km across six countries. At the time of writing this article, it was scheduled to start at Boulogne sur Mer in France on June 30, 2018 and end at Tarifa in Spain on July 21. The 2017 RAAM had cost him around Rs 15 lakh as race expenses (many in the crew were self-funded), cost of training extra. RACE will cost around Rs 25 lakh; Europe is more expensive than America. As usual, Srinivas’s biggest worry in cycling even after finishing RAAM was sponsorship. It was eating his mind. He needed to be sure of his position by December 2017, if he is to feature at RACE the following year. “ I don’t know how some people manage to raise funds so well,’’ he said, pointing out alongside that a disadvantage he may have in this regard, is the transferable nature of his job. You are never long enough at any one place to socialize and network, build a community of friends. Supportive community and an ecosystem aware of sports, including endurance cycling, matter when it comes to finding resources for projects. As I took leave of him, these were the thoughts bothering India’s first solo RAAM finisher.

(The author, Shyam G Menon, is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai.)                      

Hema Menon (Photo: Shyam G Menon)

Article on distance runner Hema Menon with a look alongside at what’s happening in Thiruvananthapuram, the southern-most capital city with a movement in amateur running.

Meals Ready – the board outside the teashop said.

I wasn’t exactly hungry. But given dietary restrictions rising elsewhere in India, my visits to Kerala had come to smack of guiltless indulgence in the cuisine I grew up with. I dove into the teashop, joining a small clientele of executives and techies who loved their food to be defiantly local or naadan, as you would say in Malayalam.

Twenty minutes later I had a full stomach; it was past 2 PM, there was a bus to wait for and not a tree for shade on the by-pass from Kazhakoottam to Kovalam. Perhaps I could walk, keep moving? Walk? Where you wish to go is some distance away. Who will walk in the blazing afternoon sun?-the waiter at the tea shop quipped, tucking up his mundu for added emphasis. How about hiring a three wheeler? They will fleece you. Why spend two hundred rupees when a bus will take you there for much less? Several minutes in the hot sun later, a bus appeared. It didn’t stop. The second one did. I got off at the assigned stop simply called `Infosys.’ Next to it was the building I required to go to – the office of UST Global. I was at Technopark, inaugurated in 1990 to welcome India’s IT revolution to Kerala; not to mention – winds of change to the state’s capital city, Thiruvananthapuram. In the 27 years since, Technopark has become a sprawling entity.

Hema with daughter Lakshmi and husband, Subhash, after their first run at an event – the 2013 Kochi International Half Marathon (Photo: courtesy Hema Menon)

The first time I ran some distance, was almost 30 years ago in Thiruvananthapuram. Good friend, Rajagopal, would come by early morning with Afzal and the three of us would run towards the city’s zoo and museum, where morning walkers congregated on a small circular road to walk in a furious whirl of flying fists, erect spines and thrust out-chests. Runners were very few. Thanks to their association with the National Cadet Corps (NCC), both Rajagopal and Afzal could jog well. Nerd on chicken legs, I soon dropped out. In my mid-forties and back to running, I was happy to see a runners’ group from Thiruvananthapuram at the half marathon in Auroville, Puducherry. Then one day, on a visit home, I decided to go running on Thiruvananthapuram roads and was delighted to see a modest number of runners, out early morning. Maybe those winds of change did blow after all, I thought as I walked past security to the UST Global office. Hema Menon was already there in the spacious lobby. Born 1969, the youngest of three children, she was from Thrissur. Her father worked at State Bank of Travancore (SBT-now merged with State Bank of India [SBI]); her mother was a science teacher. She studied in Thrissur; St Paul’s Convent, St Mary’s College and eventually, the government engineering college in that city, from where she passed out, a civil engineer.

For a few years, Hema worked with a housing development firm in Thrissur. In 1993, she got married; her husband Subhash had been a student of computer science at the same engineering college she studied at. Subhash worked initially with the IT company, Wipro in Thiruvananthapuram, and later, in Bengaluru. Work as civil engineer required Hema to liaison locally and she found that hard In Bengaluru given she spoke no Kannada. So she became a bank officer working with Federal Bank in the city. At that time, when things appeared to settle, Subhash was dispatched to France. Then he was sent to the US. Soon the family – they had a son by then – realized they needed to make a choice if they were to be together. Quitting her job and shifting to the US, Hema found that the mix of civil engineering and work at bank which she possessed, was irrelevant in that country. Meanwhile, the couple had another new arrival – a daughter. Against this backdrop, Hema commenced her masters in software engineering at the University of Texas, Dallas. She graduated with a job at Intervoice (now called Convergys). Starting out as a trainee, she rose to manage the line of business division in R&D. In January 2008, her mother suddenly took ill; her kidney was failing. Two weeks after Hema reached Kerala to be with her, she passed way. It was a shock. Hema had all along thought that between her father and mother, the former was delicate. In May 2008, she moved back to Kerala with her children. Both Hema and Subhash secured jobs at UST Global. The return to Kerala provided her three quality years with her father. In 2011, he passed away. “ I treasure those three years,’’ Hema said. But that wasn’t the end of such sorrows. Her father-in-law slipped into dementia. It was a condition that progressively deteriorated. A few years later, he too was gone. Subhash’s brother is Ramesh Kanjilimadhom, one of the founding members of the runners’ group – Soles of Cochin. Hema used to call him Forrest Gump. The brothers come from a family with history of diabetes. Subhash had diabetes; Ramesh was the only person in the family free of it. Then Ramesh had a terrible accident with fractures to his leg. “ The way he came out of it was amazing. That’s when I paid attention to his running,’’ Hema said. An Onam season, she joined Ramesh and his wife, Seema, for a run. It was fun running in the rain. But then, Hema was based in Thiruvananthapuram and Soloes of Cochin was in Kochi.

At the Chennai Trail Ultra (Photo: courtesy Hema Menon)

Thiruvananthapuram, previously known as Trivandrum, encourages curiosity for the world. Libraries, book shops, film societies, music societies, centers teaching foreign languages – they all exist. Decades ago, when Siddharth Basu’s iconic program Quiz Time was a national craze on television, the city had stunned the country putting two of its teams in the final rounds. One of Thiruvananthapuram’s book shops – Modern Book Center – is easily among the best in India. The variety of books it offers would delight any mind that refuses to be contained within the walls of ` native place’ or finds the market driven choice of books at stores elsewhere, boring. The unpretentious capital city with its state Secretariat besieged by half a dozen protests on any given day, is also home to one of India’s most talented rock bands – Avial. Yet notwithstanding this serious quest for universe, the city is so set and sure in its ways that if you returned there after seeing the world, it won’t be to breathe world into the city, it would be to live as Thiruvananthapuram does. This is a city that will stretch intellectually to accommodate an earthquake of an idea in the head. What it doesn’t wish to see is – the same manifested externally; there can be no ruffling the social fabric or established attitudes. There is a traditional perception of itself by itself that Thiruvananthapuram is reluctant to let go. In Kerala history too, while commerce dominated the proceedings of the northern kingdoms, it is the state’s southern kingdom – Travancore – that provided a sense of enduring state. When the north was invaded, it was the south that helped defend. On each visit to Thiruvananthapuram, I find it an enigma. I struggle to explain how a place that resists change shapes riveting minds. I knew quite a few. It is almost as if, the fuel for excellence is the unyielding environment. It exists to provoke the urge to rebel, search and thereby, excel. Which in turn I suppose, justifies the rigidity. It isn’t an exclusively Thiruvananthapuram story. Arguably this is true for Kerala – at once modern and conservative – with Kochi being to Thiruvananthapuram, what Mumbai is to Pune. “ Even though I lived here the past nine years, I am yet to understand the heritage of Thiruvananthapuram. There is a calmness here compared to other places,” Hema said.

At the 2014 Spice Coast Marathon (Photo: courtesy Hema Menon)

Around the time Hema did that first run with Ramesh and Seema, moves were afoot in Thiruvananthapuram to form a runners’ group. Abhayakumar N. S (Abhay) is an architect who is also partner at The Cinnamon Route, a restaurant on Pattom-Kowdiar road in the city. Until a few years ago, he was on the visibly heavy side, weighing 115 kg. His family has a history of cardiac problems. That weight had to go. He used to talk to people walking on that circular road at Thiruvananthapuram’s zoo and museum to know what their experience was in terms of weight loss and fitness. He also had a friend on Facebook who was a keen runner. This was how Abhay got into running; he jogged regularly at Mannanthala, a suburb on the MC Road linking Thiruvananthapuram with Kottayam. He complemented running with a vegan diet, making exception for fish. He shed 35 kg in three to four months. Abhay was a classmate of Seema, Ramesh’s wife. In Thiruvananthapuram, Abhay understood that to sustain his running he needed a helpful ecosystem of people, perhaps a runners’ group. Initially what he catalyzed stayed a circle of close friends. In November 2013, Trivandrum Runners’ Club (TRACS) commenced activities with a weekly 10km-run every Sunday from Kowdiar. In December 2013, Abhay ran the first Cochin International Half Marathon; this was followed by the full marathon at the 2014 Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM – now set to be called Tata Mumbai Marathon [TMM]). “ In March 2015 TRACS organized its first event in Thiruvananthapuram – a half marathon plus 10km-run. In November 2015, we hosted our first full marathon,’’ he said. The second edition of the Trivandrum Marathon was held in November 2016. Local authorities were supportive when it came to arranging these events, Abhay said. The next edition of the Trivandrum Marathon is planned over two days, with runners tackling the shorter 10km distance doing so on the first day; 21 km and 42 km will be on the following day. “ I can say TRACS started the sport at a popular level in the city,’’ Abhay said.

From the Chennai Trail Ultra or what Hema loves to remember as “ the one moment she got ahead of the boys” in that race (Photo: courtesy Hema Menon)

Among those who reported for TRACS’s first run in November 2013, was Hema Menon. “ I couldn’t run much but I remember saying that I plan to come every week. I went every week,’’ she said. Every Sunday, she drove from Kariavattom where she lived, to Kowdiar, to run 10 km. In December 2013, she participated in the 7 km-segment of the first Cochin International Half Marathon, the first event she was taking part in. By 2014, she had signed up her entire family for an event in Ohio, USA, with herself doing the half marathon. She completed the run in 2:31.

TRACS has its group run just once a week. Abhay put this schedule in perspective. “ Our message from day one has been: let’s try and get people to run 10 km. The focus is becoming healthy through running; it isn’t about timing and distance. We remain a very basic running group and we will continue to be so. We mentor to initiate people into running,’’ he said. He acknowledged that TRACS is different from Soles of Cochin, which has never hesitated to push the envelope. For those determined to push the ante, the TRACS-schedule / approach won’t suffice. For Hema, there was also another angle to address. She was driving perhaps 15 km into town to run 10 km. Alongside marking her attendance at the weekly Sunday runs at Kowdiar, Hema began running at Kariavattom and on the highway near Technopark. In due course, much of her running shifted that side. But there was a larger branching off happening at TRACS, which Abhay accepts as needed and normal. Dr Shankar Ram, a specialist in physical medicine was among those at TRACS wishing to push their limits. He and others commenced a break-away offshoot called Iten, named after the town in Kenya famous for its distance runners. Iten now hosts three practice runs every week – Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with the latter reserved for a long run. Compared to the 10 km-weekly run TRACS stuck to, Iten ventures farther. They have run the 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram to Varkala. Once a month they also run 14 km to 21 km on the slopes of Ponmudi, a 3609ft high hill with forest and tea gardens, some 56 km away from Thiruvananthapuram. It is accessed by a steep road with 22 hairpin bends on it. Few cities have what Thiruvananthapuram offers; the proximity to Ponmudi for hill running, being only one example.

Finishing the 75km-discipline of the 2016 Javadhu Ultra (Photo: courtesy Hema Menon)

According to Wikipedia, the 2011 census pegged Thiruvananthapuram city’s population at slightly short of a million. Runners in Mumbai, a city of around 20 million people, speak in the main of two stadiums in the metro that have synthetic track for athletics – the University Stadium in South Mumbai and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) sports complex in Kandivili. The two locations are separated by approximately 30 kilometers. Mumbai with paltry infrastructure for athletics probably has the biggest amateur running movement in the country. It puzzles over why a large amateur base isn’t translating into strong presence in elite athletics. In contrast, in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city and in tune with Kerala’s strength in elite athletics, you find synthetic track at two stadiums within hailing distance of each other – the University Stadium and the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium. The latter’s track, easily visible from a city bus negotiating the adjacent road, hosted none every time I passed by. It was always an empty stadium. Roughly 15 kilometers away (no distance by Mumbai standards), at Kariavattom, is a big brand new stadium with synthetic track – Trivandrum International Stadium, legacy of the 2015 National Games held in the city. Where there used to be one Olympic sized pool open to the public years ago, there is now an entire swimming complex that has come up at Pirappancode, 22 km from Thiruvananthapuram. Kariavattom is also home to the Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education (LNCPE) which has its share of grounds for athletics, a swimming pool; it even has a velodrome for cycling. All these places are well connected by public transport. Yet they haven’t sparked a larger movement in amateur sports or pronounced desire to lead the active life. There are running and cycling groups and there is now a city marathon but it is happening so late and on a scale that is small compared to the size of some of these sports assets and how long they have been around. Just like all that you read and saw of wider world remains within the head, the idea of sport contained in these stadiums doesn’t move the city.

Unlike Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram’s puzzle would be why so much sports infrastructure hasn’t inspired an interest in sport at large. On the other hand what I found freshly added to Kerala’s depiction on hoardings of gold, marriage, real estate, home appliances and similar images of settled success; was a rash of posters showing every locality’s topper in some exam or the other. Academics remain exalted. That plus, the state’s ageing demographic profile may partly explain why the amateur running scene is still nascent. But it can only partly explain, for a lot of the participation in amateur running, even in a city like Mumbai, is from the 30 plus age group. Meanwhile, the physical energy of the state’s youth, which can easily be channelized into endurance sports, continues to be spent on political clashes and such. Perhaps more worrying is that despite its known strength in sports and athletics, what is most visible in consumerist Kerala is a steep rise in that runners’ woe – privately owned automobiles. My Sunday visit to mist laden Ponmudi included a traffic jam on top.

With Soles of Cochin runners after an edition of the TCS 10K (Photo: courtesy Hema Menon)

Hema is a piece of Soles of Cochin, living 220 km away in Thiruvananthapuram. Her best memories in running are interwoven with Soles. Post Ohio, she did the Dream Runners’ Half Marathon in Chennai, completing it in 2:38. In 2014, she did roughly six half marathons. In October 2014 she did the half marathon in Bengaluru and despite a niggling pain she picked up at its end, went on to run the full marathon at Spice Coast, Kochi. Among those she met at Soles, were Paul P.I and A.P. Kumar. Signing up for a 50 km-run at the Chennai Trail Ultra, she ran it in the company of Paul, Kumar and Mathew Mapram. “ These guys made the run interesting for me. It was my first ultra,’’ she said. She ran the full marathon at SCMM in 2015 and 2016, following up the 2016 run (5:18) with the full marathon at Dubai (5:02) and the full at Wipro Chennai Marathon (5.30). “ Surprisingly I had no problem with recovery,’’ she said. But things did go wrong at the next event, a full marathon in Delhi. It was a nice course but she didn’t get it right. “ I nearly broke down,’’ she said. In July 2016, Hema signed up for the 75km-race at Javadhu Ultra. She practised with Soles of Cochin at Kulamavu in Idukki district. At Javadhu, she finished her race within cut-off time. “ Trail running is so peaceful. The problem in cities is traffic. I am not a fast runner and by the time slow runners are finishing at events, traffic begins to hit you. Trail makes the experience very different,’’ she said.

In October 2016, she signed up for the 80km-segment of Malnad Ultra. Then Paul and Kumar called up to inform that Mathew was attempting 110 km. So why shouldn’t they? The cut-off was 24 hours. All four committed to 110km. But on the day of the ultra, Kumar reported sick, Paul was injured and Mathew deciding to focus on a marathon in Bengaluru cut his distance short at Malnad. That left Hema alone for the full 110km with none of her friends for company. Malnad is a roughly 100 km-wide corridor running north-south in Karnataka’s west, sandwiched between the state’s sea coast and the Bayaluseeme region. It spans both the western and eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. These are richly forested hills; Karnataka’s highest peak – Mullayanagiri (6316ft) – is located in this belt. “ It was an amazing place,’’ Hema said of the ultramarathon’s route. Nevertheless, it was a tough run and at sections, where the route was through forest, she had to find somebody to run along with. At 5 AM with an hour left for cut-off, she completed the assigned 110km. “ Malnad changed a lot of things for me,’’ Hema said. She was due to run the full marathon at Bengaluru soon thereafter. But she withdrew from the full marathon so that the Malnad experience would linger longer. “ Peter Van Geit of Chennai Trekking Club does a lot of trail running away from cities. After Malnad, I understood what he was talking about,’’ Hema said. In January 2017, she ran the 71km-race at Munnar Ultra. According to her, ultras allow her to be at peace. “ You are not always running, you are with nature,’’ she said. She attributed her running to her ringside view of Ramesh’s recovery from accident, the infectious passion of Soles of Cochin, the influence of Seema and her hope that if she keeps running, so would Subhash; running helps check his diabetes. The time I met her at UST Global, Hema’s family was based overseas. Her son, having graduated in physics and math from Ohio State University, now worked in the US. Her daughter was studying cognitive science at the University of California, San Diego. ` It is time to make a choice again – India or US?’’ Hema said. Looking ahead, she said she would like to get a sub-five in the full marathon, eventually maybe a sub-four. She would also like to run the Boston Marathon after qualifying for it. None of this is to be confused with competitive instincts. “ There is plenty of competition at work anyway. Why bring that to running?’’ she asked.

With the Race Director of Malnad Ultra after finishing the 110km-run (Photo: courtesy Hema Menon)

On the way back from UST Global, I passed the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium. I asked Abhay and Shankar about Thiruvananthapuram’s empty stadiums and the fledgling dimension yet, of the city’s interest in amateur sports. They felt it may have something to do with the local tendency to attach purpose to what we do. Elite athletics are so because they come with defined purpose. Your goal is to achieve, be the best. Amateur athletics have no purpose beyond recreational value. Pursuits without a purpose and trajectory to be the best, find little empathy in the state. I thought of those posters of rank holders. Most of them will be unheard of later. But right then with ridiculously high marks they fit society’s notion of achievement. “ In none of our passions, do we follow it for what it is,’’ Abhay said. The question is frequently posed: what’s the purpose? At his office within the Jimmy George Indoor Stadium, Shankar searched for more explanations to the mental wall denying as much social encouragement for the amateur athletics movement as elite athletics. He pointed out that in the recent past even as a larger amateur movement in sport eluded Thiruvananthapuram there has been an explosion of shuttle courts. Bengaluru owes a lot of its amateur running movement to the IT wave. That city has marathons and the Sree Kanteerava Stadium hosts extended endurance runs. Did Technopark and much travelled IT workforce make a difference to amateur sports movements in Thiruvananthapuram? – I asked. Neither of them felt so. Abhay in fact, had an interesting observation: those who shift to Thiruvananthapuram do so for the city and what it represents; not to question it.

(The author, Shyam G Menon, is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai.)

Paul P.I (Photo: Shyam G Menon)

For long, Kochi has been synonymous with Kerala’s major port, backwaters and the export end of the region’s spice trade.

Sitting in town you wouldn’t imagine hilly terrain in the distance, unless you notice the stuff of Kochi’s historically famous commerce as ` hill produce’ and venture to find out where it’s coming from. One aspect of Kerala’s uniqueness, little appreciated amid all the consumerist excess being stuffed in, is that it is a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the sea and a spine of hills, about 500 km long. Even at the state’s widest part, in a couple of hours of travel, you can be at modest elevation from sea level and vice versa. In tapering portions like Thiruvananthapuram district, the hills are still closer. The high ranges don’t manifest suddenly. Between the lower lands with their backwaters, and the highlands, there is the portion signifying transition. Tucked in the south east part of Ernakulam district (where Kochi is), Neendapara in Kavalangad panchayat is part of the geography signaling the higher hills of Idukki district beyond. In Kerala, the predominantly hilly districts of Idukki and Wayanad are known for their distance runners.

From the 2016 Dream Runners Half Marathon in Chennai (Photo: courtesy Paul P.I)

“ Neendapara – that’s where I grew up,’’ Paul P.I said at his house in Kundanoor in the Kochi suburb of Maradu. Our appointment had been fixed closer to noon for the retired Kochi port officer had a long run that morning. The directions to his house were precise, distances conveyed accurately as only runners do. Still I lost my way. How can I screw up despite such clear directions? Maybe my running days are over and I no more see like a runner? – I thought; wrong Mr Paul before me, listening to the description of person I sought. “ Sure I am Paul but Paul who runs, he stays over there,’’ the helpful man said. On the steps leading to the house I next went to, was a pair of Vibram Five Fingers. This is it – I knew. Paul was born one of six children; his father, a contractor, died 30 years ago in a road accident. Neendapara is a hilly place. Paul’s family owned land. Tending it was a team of agricultural workers. Given that the workers did their daily work at scattered locations on the land, Paul remembers walking up and down the terrain to give them food. Those were the late 1950s. Road connectivity in the state wasn’t as much as it is today and Neendapara tucked away from better known Kochi and on the approach to the hills of Idukki, wasn’t exactly priority for public infrastructure. Paul attended school in Neriyamangalam eight kilometers away. He recalled that his tenth standard exams were a further 12 km away. School was his introduction to athletics; he used to run in 100m and 200m races. For pre-degree, Paul turned to Nirmala College in Muvattupuzha, a major town in the region.

From the 2015 Spice Coast Marathon (Photo: courtesy Paul P.I)

His father wanted Paul to be an engineer. Unfortunately, the youngster failed to clear one of the subjects in college. That failure hit him hard. He desperately wanted to fulfil his father’s wish. “ I joined Thyagaraja Polytechnic near Thrissur. It was the only option available to me to stay close to the engineering line. At the polytechnic, I studied well,’’ he said. Alongside he also kept his interest in sports alive. He used to participate in 5000m and represented the institution at inter-polytechnic sports meets. An active person, he also played hockey, basketball and that game once very popular in Kerala and since near vanished – ball badminton. Probably because Indian polytechnics have always been a poor cousin to mainstream colleges with their academic halo, there was none to train him for the 5000m. He had no coach. He figured out his own path. “ I was crazy about hockey and by my third year was captain of the polytechnic team,’’ Paul said. Before hockey sessions, he would run several rounds of the playing field to keep both interests – hockey and running – happy. After securing his diploma from the polytechnic, he joined Cochin Port Trust (CPT) as a tracer, precursor to being draftsman. Alongside, he also enrolled for the AMIE course in engineering offered by the Institution of Engineers (India). He passed this program, specializing in civil engineering. Given his new qualification, Paul moved to being a junior engineer at CPT. However his further promotion was delayed and stuck in litigation. For seventeen years he stayed a junior engineer. Eventually he won the case and was promoted with all arrears paid. “ I retired as superintending engineer,’’ Paul said.

At the 2016 Javadhu Hills Ultra (Photo: courtesy Paul P.I)

With Ramesh Kanjilimadhom; from a regular Soles of Cochin run near CUSAT in Kochi (Photo: courtesy Paul P.I)

Willingdon Island is the largest artificial island in India. Envisioned by Sir Robert Bristow, it is home to Kochi’s port and naval base. For many years, when he was with CPT, Paul stayed on Willingdon Island. He used to run every morning on the island. In 1999, he moved to Kundanoor on the mainland and took to running up and down the nearby bridge. Six years later, in 2005, he had a temporary setback. He suffered a road accident that left him with multiple fractures on one leg. Surgeries were needed and for a year till the rod that had been inserted into the shin was removed, he had to refrain from hard physical activity. Once the rod was taken off, he slowly got back to running. The legacy of that accident is still visible on Paul’s leg. In 2014, the Cochin Corporation organized the Cochin International Half Marathon. Paul was the only CPT employee running the half marathon besides the CPT Chairman. Paul completed the run in 2:35. Word got around of the port employee who completed a half marathon. Willingdon Island houses a whole port ecosystem. Not far from Paul’s office was the office of the Customs. Customs officers, Vijayan Pillai and Naushad Asanar were regular runners, who were also members of Soles of Cochin. They dropped by at Paul’s office to get him into Soles and enroll him for the first edition of the Spice Coast Marathon organized by the group. Paul enrolled for the marathon almost immediately. Naushad remembered that instance well. “ He enrolled offline. So I had to meet him later and collect the fee,’’ Naushad said. In November 2014, Paul ran the full marathon of the event, completing the course in 6:11. “ That was the first time I knew of such distances in running and distance runners who train dedicatedly to run the distance,’’ he said. Despite Kerala’s known strength in athletics at the all India level, Paul’s comment should not surprise. A peculiar aspect of the state’s athletics is the wall that exists between elite athletics and amateur pursuits, which are recreational in nature. Movements around the latter genre – like Soles of Cochin – are happening with considerable lag in Kerala compared to the pace at which the state earned a name in elite athletics.

From the Moolamattom to Vagamon run, which Paul organized for Soles of Cochin (Photo: courtesy Paul P.I)

In December 2014, on turning 60 years of age, Paul retired from service. In July 2015, he formally joined Soles of Cochin where he would subsequently become popular as “ Paulettan,’’ `ettan’ being a quickly said version of the Malayalam word `chettan’ meaning elder brother. Upon joining Soles, Paul’s running became more systematic and regular. “ I started running at least 50 km every week,’’ he said. Paul described a typical week with Soles. Sunday would be a run of 8-10 km, from the Kadavanthara stadium to the Kaloor stadium and back. On Tuesday, they would run 10-12 km from Edappally to the Cochin University of Science & Technology (CUSAT) via Thrikkakkara. Thursday featured hill running; the runners would proceed from CUSAT to the HMT factory and onward to the local medical college before returning to CUSAT. “ That would be around 10-12 km,’’ he said. On Saturday, the runners would start at Edappally and proceed sometimes to Thrippunithura, logging a distance of 21-25 km. “ With all this, I now run 60-70 km every week,’’ Paul said. According to Naushad, Paul was initially reluctant to join a runners’ group. He shied away claiming he didn’t run much. Invited to come along for a Sunday run, he cited his Sunday appointment with the church for excuse. Then he turned up for a run but wasn’t seen thereafter. “ Once he returned, he has been a regular at the group’s runs. Not just that, Paul is a very good organizer. There was a run we planned at Moolamattom and Paul took care of it completely by himself. Almost 100 people enrolled for that run, of which, nearly 80 turned up to run,’’ Naushad said.

From the 2016 Night Owl; 12 hour-run on Willingdon Island organized by Soles of Cochin (Photo: courtesy Paul P.I)

Shortly after he joined Soles, Paul ran the full marathon at Hyderabad finishing it in 5:35, a significant reduction in timing from the 6:11 of the 2014 Spice Coast Marathon. Then, “ Paulettan’’ began catching up on lost time. In 2016 he ran over a dozen full marathons, including an ultra. January 2016 was especially hectic. On January 3 he ran a full marathon in Salem. A fortnight later, he ran the full marathon at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM). Five days later, he was running the full marathon in Dubai and on January 31, he was in Chennai running the Wipro Chennai Marathon. Paul ran in the 60-65 years age category. He wasn’t getting any podium finishes; it was purely the love to run that kept him going from one event to the next. As of July 2017, the time we met for a chat, the retired engineer had run 19 full marathons since his first one in November 2014. He had also finished 24 half marathons. Of the 19 full marathons, three were ultramarathons – the Chennai Trail Ultra (50 km), the Javadhu Hills Ultra (75 km) and the Munnar Ultra (72 km). He said he owes much to the guidance he received from Ramesh Kanjilimadhom, among Kochi’s best known amateur runners and a founder member of Soles. In December 2016, Paul found mention in local newspapers for running 62 miles on his 62nd birthday, from the CPT office on Willingdon Island in Kochi to Neendapara, where he was born. “ It was fully backed by Soles of Cochin. There was a support car and other runners to keep me company,’’ he said. Running also gave him good friends. He remembered Hema Menon, at the time of writing this article, working in Thiruvananthapuram. Of the 19 full marathons he had run, 16 were with Hema, he said. Paul also ran `Night Owl’ a 12 hour-running event from 6PM to 6AM, organized by Soles.

Paul (back row, fourth from right) with his friends from Soles of Cochin (Photo: courtesy Paul P.I)

Looking ahead, he was planning to run the 100 km race at Javadhu in August 2017 and the 110 km race at the Malanadu Ultra in Chikkamagaluru. There is also the Vagamon Trail Ultra, which Soles is organizing and hopefully, a shot at Globeracer’s ` Run the Rann’ in February 2018. He had also registered for full marathons at Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Goa and Chennai. Such a schedule naturally brings up the question of injury. Paul has so far been free of any major injury sustained through running, except for a sprain during a half marathon in Coimbatore, which he got over in two months. However, cure for that was not easy. Exercise didn’t work. Disappointment gathered as others ran and he couldn’t. Then he approached a kalari (kalaripayattu is Kerala’s traditional martial art) center in Thrippunithura. Given they deal with martial arts for which one’s body must be kept adequately flexible, kalari centers have long had a local reputation in healing.  “ They gave me an oil massage for one hundred rupees and asked me to run the next day and report back. I had no problems thereafter,’’ Paul said, adding, many runners still find his story hard to believe. “ He is not like the rest of us. He is quite a hardy person,’’ Naushad said. Paul is also into yoga. “ At Soles, we have a runner and yoga teacher in Rajappan. Once a week he takes classes for us. I do yoga thrice a week,’’ Paul said. He follows no special diet but makes sure to stretch after every run. “ I don’t remember when I last saw the doctor,’’ he said encapsulating what running had done for him. According to Paul, he, Rajappan and Mathew Mapram (based in the US but reaching Kerala every year to run with his friends) are a prominent trio of senior citizens into running at Soles. Paul’s personal best in the full marathon was 4:56, set at the 2016 Run of Raramuri Tribe (TROT) in Bengaluru. Along the way, a few podium finishes have been there – there was a second place in his age category at a half marathon in Mysore; there was a third in a 10 km-race in Mangaluru. But he doesn’t care about winning. Podium is not why he came into running. He likes to run; period.

From the birthday run (Photo: courtesy Paul P.I)

Paul has three children; they live in Kochi and Bengaluru. Running the marathon in Bengaluru is a fine way of visiting his children settled there. However, as yet, he is the sole runner in his family. Initially they were opposed to his new found craze for running. Slowly the opposition faded and the family has since got used to the avid runner in Paul. In the way they initially reacted to running, his family wasn’t alone. It probably reflected a larger streak in Kerala, where doing something for no particular reason or achievement finds few fans. “ In the early days, people at large used to be critical of the amateur running scene. It was so till media made a difference,’’ Paul said. That 62 mile-run on his 62nd birthday was among things helping link people to runners. “ As news of the run was already out, I was offered cake by local people at several places I passed through,’’ he said. Asked why he was running, he would say that it was to spread awareness on distance running and to highlight the fact that age is just a number. That said, he conceded there is an unfortunate gap between serious athletics and the general population in Kerala. The state’s achievements in athletics hasn’t inspired a corresponding popular interest in the field that sees amateurs trying their hand at running, or those who do, being appreciated for the effort. Outfits like Soles of Cochin offer hope.

(The author, Shyam G Menon, is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai. Timings at races are as provided by the interviewee. Except the first photo, the rest have been provided by Paul or downloaded from his Facebook page and used with his permission.)                

Anna Stoehr (Photo: courtesy Anna / photo credit: TVB Innsbruck)

You cannot talk of women’s climbing in recent years; be it competition climbing in general, the World Cup series of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) or women in bouldering, without mentioning the name of Anna Stoehr. The Austrian climber, veteran of several wins at top climbing championships (she is a double world champion, double European champion and winner overall of the world cup in bouldering, four times), was away in South Africa, when this blog approached her with a request for interview in June 2017. That trip done, she responded: 

Can you tell us something about the recent climbs you did in South Africa?

We mostly climbed in areas that have been developed over the past years. My last visit was four years ago and a lot of development has happened since. We also brushed some boulders and did a couple of first ascents. Other than that I also climbed some classics which I had not done before, in already established areas.

You are one of the most experienced athletes on the competitive climbing circuit, including the IFSC World Cup and World Championship. What has kept you going in that circuit for so long? What do you like about it?

I always enjoyed competing- the excitement, thrill and nervousness are very special. I like the mental challenge of competitions as well as traveling the world with the Austrian climbing team and fellow competitors from all around the world.

Within the three main disciplines of climbing (lead, speed and bouldering), why did bouldering become your favorite? What attracted you to bouldering?

As a teenager I used to boulder, mostly outside. I was immediately quite successful in this discipline. But I also climbed at lead competitions and even did a few speed competitions when I was younger. In my opinion bouldering is much more creative than lead climbing. It is so complex and unique that you never find the same move again and you have to adapt very fast to different circumstances.

Games and team sports are more popular in India than individual pursuits like athletics or track and field. How popular is climbing in Austria? What brought you to climbing and did you have all required infrastructure to grow in the sport, available locally?

Climbing was not at all popular when I started. Nobody in my high-school class knew what it was. But that is exactly why I liked it so much from the beginning: It is not a mainstream sport and I always liked being outside. Climbing has become a way of life for me. Innsbruck has just opened a huge gym- so nowadays the infrastructure is perfect. Back in the days we may not have had the best infrastructure but we had the best team spirit and that is why we (Kilian, David, Jakob*, myself) were so successful.

Anna Stoehr climbing “ Steppenwolf” V13 (Photo: courtesy Anna / photo credit: Alfons Dornauer)

The perception in India is that without good climbing infrastructure here, we cannot hope to excel in the sport. For example: every year new types of holds and features are introduced overseas, which Indian climbers get to see for the first time only when they are at an international competition.  How do you address challenges like lack of familiarity with the latest trends in climbing infrastructure? If as you said, lack of world class infrastructure couldn’t keep you down, can you explain how you and your team mates used to work around that problem? 

I think it is definitely an advantage if you have good infrastructure. But it is not the only factor that matters. We worked around the lack of infrastructure by buying holds overseas. When we were at competitions in Japan or the USA, we always bought holds and brought them back to our gym. Even if big volumes were not possible due to the size of the wall, we brought holds and tried to adapt. We also made up for any inadequacy in infrastructure by having a big and very motivated climbing community, who pushed each other a lot.

If you were to be a talent scout looking for promising climbers who can be groomed for international competitions, what qualities would you look for in a prospective candidate? 

I think you can see a promising climber by the way he / she moves. There are differences in technique that can be seen from the outside, but of course there is a long way to go.

You have been winner of international climbing competitions and championships several times. Can you give us an idea of the level of commitment and dedication to the sport it took to reach you to the level of excellence you possess in climbing? When did you shift to being a full time climber, how many hours of training did you put in on a daily basis?

I have always been very dedicated. But I did not limit myself too much doing so because in order to be successful I need to be happy as well. I am not happy if I cannot see my friends because I am training too much or if I do not eat chocolate (for example). I became a full-time climber only one year ago, when I finally finished my university degree. I train five times a week, three hours per session if I climb inside. If I climb outside I climb all day.

You have had a fairly long and distinguished career in the sport, including in competition climbing. How did you sustain your enthusiasm for the format; how did you tackle injuries? When you did not perform well, what did you do?

For the past few years I have had problems with my fingers. That is why I am not doing the whole bouldering World Cup circuit anymore. It is too risky and I would not have enough time to climb outside. Nevertheless I am still competing because I actually like it a lot and I think it is fun! When I did not perform well I was upset at first, but then remembered why I was there in the first place. Competing is about joy – trying to solve a problem and being able to succeed eventually. You won’t be able to try and climb on world cup style boulders set by professionals every day. So it is better to enjoy the process.

Anna climbing “Meadowlark Lemon” V13 (Photo: courtesy Anna / photo credit: Kilian Fischchuber)

Given you have spent so many years in the competition climbing circuit, would you care to name some of the strongest climbers you have been up against? Are there any names in particular that you choose to remember because you learnt something from them?

I think we can learn from so many people. They do not have to be the best. I really enjoy learning from people who climb well; people having great technique, coordination and a dynamic style of climbing. I have been able to compete with so many talented women, who inspire me; be it Akiyo Noguchi’s never-ending motivation, Miho Nonaka’s great style, Olga Bibik’s dedication, Jule Wurm’s pure joy, Melissa LeNevé’s ability to not let go or Shauna Coxsey’s flawless performance.

As climber on stage how do you handle the competition around you? From what do you draw the energy to perform and compete?

I think as a climber you compete against the wall. You have to climb well in order to place well and not look at other athletes’ performances.

Which has been your finest moment on the competition climbing circuit so far? Which was your real low point?

Finest moment was winning the European Championship title in 2013 alongside my partner Kilian Fischhuber. My real low was getting injured before the World Championship in Munich in 2014 and not being able to compete.

Which has been the toughest title you won and why?

My toughest title is yet to be won.

Are you happy with the format of climbing chosen for the Olympics, wherein the best athletes across all three disciplines of the sport get medals? What is the format you personally prefer?

No not at all. I don’t think the combined format is a good idea. I personally prefer to have three gold medals, one for each discipline.

Given you still participate in climbing competitions do you look forward to being part of an Austrian Olympic squad in the year climbing makes its debut at the Olympics? Do you plan to try and qualify for the Austrian Olympic team when the time arrives?

I will definitely not compete at the Olympics.

Anna Stoehr (Photo: courtesy Anna / photo credit: Kilian Fischchuber)

In your eyes is it important that sport climbing be included in the Olympics? Or, is the sport doing well the way it is?

I think for some federations and athletes it is very important. Public funding sometimes depends on being an Olympic sport. I think I was very fortunate that I was able to compete in the Austrian team, because our federation is doing well and was always able to support their athletes.

Would you like to channelize your experience in competition climbing to be a coach for youngsters aspiring to compete?

Yes I would definitely like to work with youth at some point. I find it very inspiring to see the younger generation.

Away from competitions, you have done tough climbs on natural rock. Going ahead how do you plan to grow this side of your life?

I always enjoyed climbing outside, be it bouldering or sport climbing. One day I will stop competing but I will always climb on rock!

Do you have any plans to visit India for climbing?

Not yet.

*Jakob Schubert was part of the Austrian team, which participated in the 2017 IFSC World Cup in Bouldering held in Navi Mumbai, India.

(The author, Shyam G Menon, is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai. Please note: in the caption of photos showing climbing, the name in quotes is the name given to the boulder by climbers and the alphabet and number following it immediately signifies the grade of climb / difficulty.)

Srinivas Gokulnath (This photo was downloaded from the cyclist’s Facebook page / no copyright infringement intended)

Srinivas Gokulnath and Amit Samarth have completed the Race Across America (RAAM).

They are the first Indians to finish within the official cut-off time in the solo category. According to reports, Srinivas completed the race in 11 days and 18 hours while Amit took 11 days and 21 hours. Solo cyclists have to finish the race within 12 days.

The third Indian participant in the solo category, Samim Rizvi, unfortunately ended up Did Not Finish (DNF).

India had its first proper completion of RAAM in 2015, when Hitendra Mahajan and his younger brother, Mahendra Mahajan – both of them doctors from Nashik – registered a successful finish as a two person-team. This year – 2017 – is the first time the country has solo finishers at RAAM. In 2011, Samim had managed to cycle the whole distance of the race but finished just outside the official cut-off limit of 12 days. The 2017 attempt was Samim’s fourth time at RAAM (for more on Samim please try this link: https://shyamgopan.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/chasing-a-10-day-raam/)

In the team category at the 2017 RAAM, one of the entrants was Sahyadri Cyclists. While the cyclists were four – Rajendra Nehete, Ramakant Patil, Sandeep Shewale and Pankaj Marlesha, the support crew included the Mahajan brothers with Hitendra Mahajan listed as crew chief. At the time of writing this article, they were past 3036.1 miles. Also continuing in the race was Andre Kajlich, the first handcyclist to qualify for the solo category in RAAM. He had covered 3021.9 miles.

RAAM is among the most punishing endurance races out there not just in cycling but across sports. Unlike the more popular Tour De France, RAAM does not feature daily stages. It proceeds at one go with the overall cut-off time, differences in terrain (the total climbing at RAAM aggregates to 170,000 ft), variations in weather and distance – a ride right across the United States – making it terribly challenging. Aside from riders managing their need for rest, there are no assigned rest days in this race. Simply put, RAAM is 30 per cent longer than Tour De France and has to be finished in roughly half the number of days (that said, Tour De France is a more intensely competitive athletic experience despite the lesser number of hours cycled every day. A reader of this blog pointed out, “ the athletic demands of a 3 week-Grand Tour are far greater, and intense, than those of RAAM, which whilst extremely tough is much more of a consistent effort dependent on managing one’s endurance resources.” There is thus, disparity in the physical demands of the two events making comparison difficult and potentially misleading). DNFs are common; even reputed cyclists including those with considerable experience at RAAM, succumb to it. This year one of those who had to DNF was 57 year-old Seana Hogan, among the most successful RAAM champions in history with six wins in the women’s category. She won it in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998 with timings that were at times better than what was registered by many in the men’s category. Her 1995 record of 9 days 4 hours and 2 minutes remains still the fastest solo finish among women. A RAAM legend, 2017 was Seana’s eleventh attempt. This year, the winner in the solo category for women was Sarah Cooper of the US.

Amit Samarth (This photo has been downloaded from the cyclist’s Facebook page / no copyright infringement intended)

The fatigue caused by near non-stop cycling could be felt by those remotely tracking RAAM via Internet. While the 1000 mile-mark was quickly reached by the leading group of cyclists – including Amit and Srinivas, the passage from 1000 miles to 2000 miles and beyond, seemed to take ages. An exception was Christoph Strasser who won the race this year. His progress was almost steady (for the update posted at the time Strasser crossed the finish line, please click on this link: https://shyamgopan.wordpress.com/2017/06/22/raam-christoph-strasser-wins-again-amit-and-srinivas-are-past-the-2250-mile-mark/).

When San Diego based engineer, G. Rajeev met Amit Samarth at the start of the 2017 RAAM as part of contributing a spot report for this blog, Amit had told him that he had previously crewed for Siena Hogan. In tough endurance races like RAAM, the support crew matters as much as athlete. A post on RAAM’s Facebook page said that Amit’s crew for 2017 appeared a family affair. The crew included his mother and wife; his seven year old-son was also along for the trip in the support vehicle, the post said. Besides being a cyclist, Amit is also a triathlete; in December 2016 it was reported that he had completed a full Ironman in Australia.

For Srinivas Gokulnath, 2017 was his second shot at RAAM. According to a 2016 news report ahead of his participation in the 2016 RAAM, Srinivas is a senior medical officer serving at the army’s artillery center in Nashik. A specialist in aerospace medicine, the Lt Colonel had earned a place in the Limca Book of Records by cycling from Leh to Kanyakumari in 15 days and 22 hours in 2014. His hometown is Bengaluru. In 2016, he gave up his attempt at that year’s RAAM at Oxford, Ohio after cycling 2460 miles (3959 km) in 11 days. As per information available on the Internet, his support crew for 2017 was headed by Chris O’Keefe (he completed RAAM, second in his category in 2016). Others in the crew included Srinivas’s wife Prafulla, his coach Alberto Blanco and Venkatesh Shivarama of the Bengaluru based-Wheelsports (for an earlier article featuring among others, Venkatesh, please try this link: https://shyamgopan.wordpress.com/2013/08/24/cyclings-second-youth/). A video featuring O’Keefe, on RAAM’s Facebook page, mentioned that Srinivas faced problems on day two of the race but had since clawed his way out of it.

Christoph Strasser, who won RAAM this year, is one of the best known cyclists associated with this event. He has won RAAM thrice before and holds the record for the fastest time – 7 days, 15 hours and 56 minutes. Away from RAAM, according to Wikipedia, he also holds the record for the maximum distance cycled on a road bike in 24 hours – 556.856 miles (896.173 km).

UPDATE: Team Sahyadri Cyclists has completed the race. They finished in 8 days, 10 hours and 16 minutes. At the time of writing this update, Andre Kajlich had covered 3106.9 miles.

(The author, Shyam G Menon, is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai. For the spot report from Oceanside, the starting point of RAAM, please click on this link: https://shyamgopan.wordpress.com/2017/06/17/2017-raam-gets-underway-a-spot-report/)