“ I got interested in the event mainly because of its name,’’ Kabir Rachure said.

He was talking of the annual Borrego Springs WTTC (World Time Trial Championships) held in the settlement of Borrego Springs in San Diego County, California. Both “ world’’ in the name and the fact that the event is a time trial, attracted. ` World’ had a ring of quality and things to learn from. As for time trial – it is all about speed, an attribute associated more with the shorter sprint disciplines in cycling and not, ultra-cycling.

A two-time finisher in Race Across America (RAAM) and a regular podium finisher at ultra-cycling events in India, Kabir’s forte is endurance. Ultra-cyclists are not usually associated with speed. But speed does play a role in ultra-cycling for both finishing races within stipulated cut-off time and the higher ground of emerging a podium finisher, demand speed from ultra-cyclist. It isn’t the same speed as showcased by sprint cyclist in a velodrome; it is the stuff of higher average speed maintained for long, which is still the stuff of speed. “ It is like comparing Usain Bolt and Eliud Kipchoge. Bolt may be the fastest. But Kipchoge is not only running fast; he is also doing that for 42 kilometres,’’ Kabir said, outlining the paradigm, which drew him to Borrego Springs in early November 2022 for the annual WTTC. Or to cite an example from within the world of ultra-cycling, think of the Austrian great, Christoph Strasser, winner of RAAM multiple times and current record holder for the fastest completion of the 4800 kilometre-race – seven days, 15 hours, and 56 minutes, set in 2014. That’s speed; sustained.

Closer to ultra-cyclist’s interests, the WTTC at Borrego Springs tests endurance because its categories span six, 12 and 24 hours of cycling in the time trial format. Such long hours of pedalling fast represent a sweet spot, showcasing both speed and endurance. Not surprisingly, the WTTC Borrego Springs also serves as a RAAM-qualifier. “ If you cover 400 miles in 24 hours, you get a certificate that lets you participate in RAAM,’’ Kabir said. The Navi Mumbai-based cyclist reached Borrego Springs registered for the 24 hour-time trial competition and nursing a goal of covering 720-750 kilometres in the assigned time. Kabir knew what he would be up against. “ I didn’t want to fight anyone leading the race. Some of the racers had done more than 800 kilometres at such competitions before,’’ he said. His intention was more in line with discovering his capabilities and finding out where he stood in a competitive field.

The event was held on a loop of 29 kilometres. It had one stop sign and no traffic signals. Notwithstanding the lone stop sign, cyclists participating in the WTTC were given priority by the authorities so that they could go about accumulating loops. In fact, the whole town appeared supportive of the event. Kabir recalled traffic making room for the cyclists and accommodating them on the road. The weather was helpful; prevailing temperatures were not high. And unlike in RAAM, where the scale of the course is huge and cyclists are often separated from each other by considerable distance, in Borrego Springs, the loop of 29 kilometres kept the sense of community compact and permitted social interaction among the participating cyclists.

Kabir reached California a week in advance to ensure he recovered well from the jet lag of a long trip. He had a small support team, his sister Sapana and Rutvik; and two bicycles to tackle the time trial – a proper TT bike (the Spiegel Diablo) and a road bike (the Spiegel San Marino). Once in Borrego Springs, he cycled on the 29 kilometre-loop multiple times to get used to the surface, get an idea of the gradients, and understand which segments demanded effort and where it would be possible to save energy. Knowing the course was critical because the road’s texture included sand and scree. There was the need to try out both bikes, different pieces of equipment and figure out the optimum configurations. Given the race was scheduled to start at 5PM and continue for 24 hours, cyclist would be required to manage his passage through changing weather conditions. The right attire and how layering should be managed – these had to be worked out. He essayed five rides on the course to find out the combinations that would work well for him. From a few days prior to the race, he started to consume only safe and familiar foods to minimize the chances of any health disorders.

On race day, the TT went off largely alright for Kabir. He used the TT bike for the first 12 hours and the road bike for the remaining period. It made sense because although the TT bike is designed for speed, the riding posture on it is aggressive and therefore tough to sustain for extended durations. To the credit of both bicycles and their maintenance, Kabir faced no mechanical problems during the TT. “ There was not even a flat tyre,’’ he said. Towards the later stages of the TT, Kabir developed some knee pain. But he felt that 700 kilometres was within reach. Past 22 hours, the riders were shifted to a shorter loop built for speed with no gradients. Given the knee pain, Kabir decided not to push aggressively and play conservatively instead. Eventually, Kabir covered 428.4 miles (689.44 kilometres) at an average speed of 18 miles per hour (28.9 kilometres per hour). in the 24-hour category, Kabir finished twelfth out of 90 participants overall. Within the solo male category, he placed eighth in a field of 52. In his age group of 30-39 years, he placed fourth. “ I wasn’t happy with the mileage achieved because I felt that more than 700 kilometres was possible,’’ he said. The overall winner of the competition was Philipp Kaider of Austria; he covered 531.6 miles (855.53 kilometres) at an average speed of 22.5 miles per hour (36.21 kilometres per hour). Kabir is currently weighing the options of repeating RAAM in 2023. While there is always the challenge of improving his performance at RAAM, his body has been craving for rest. “ I may elect to take a break,’’ he said about his plans for RAAM. But he confirmed that a return to Borrego Springs attracts.

Kabir was not aware of a time trial similar to that of Borrego Springs – one that combines long hours, speed and endurance on a loop – in India. Asked if such an event would be helpful for the growing community of endurance cyclists in the country, Kabir said it would be. The big challenge according to him, is the Indian environment. There is heavy traffic and rising pollution. Borrego Springs appeared a community that appreciated the cycling in its midst. For the WTTC, the road used was a normal one (which authorities repaired and spruced up ahead of the annual race) and traffic was not suspended. What was noteworthy was how traffic accommodated the cyclists and gave them the space to cycle as part of the WTTC. In other words, these are vignettes from lands where the active lifestyle is not an exception to the rule but is part of everyday life or the very stuff of life. It is how people define existence. It is paradigms of this sort and imagination therein, which then dream up races and contests including RAAM and the Borrego Springs WTTC.

Ultrarunning in India has its share of races held in stadiums. Encouraged so, Indian ultrarunners and teams of ultrarunners have since done well in continental championships in the 24 hour-category. For a six-hour, 12-hour or 24 hour-TT of the Borrego Springs sort to be held in India, cycling needs a loop at the intersection of acceptable surface quality and supportive weather. “ In July 2021, when Christoph Strasser became the first person to ride more than 1000 kilometres in 24 hours, he did that on a course at an air force base in Austria,’’ Kabir said. In India, there are racetracks used for motoring that aren’t optimally used. They could be freed up for a few days for an annual TT event provided the loop is not so small that it enables drafting (tucking in behind a competitor to escape wind resistance) by cyclists. At events like Borrego Springs, drafting is not allowed. Those are however finer details. The fundamental question is – do we want such races?

(The author, Shyam G Menon, is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai. The results quoted from the Borrego Springs WTTC are as published on the event’s website.)

Nihal Ahamad Baig was overall winner of the 2022 edition of the Ironman 70.3 held in Goa. He completed the triathlon in a personal best (PB) of four hours, 29 minutes and 45 seconds to place first.

In terms of break-up in performance across the triathlon’s three disciplines, Nihal finished eighteenth in swimming, ninth in cycling and first in running.

Second place overall went to Bishworjit Saikhom (4:37:21). Pankaj Dhiman (4:40:41) finished third.

The Ironman in Goa falls in the category of a Half Ironman aka Ironman 70.3 (70.3 miles or 113 km overall consisting of 1.9 km-swim, 90 km-bike ride and 21.1 km-run). In the previous edition of the race in 2019, Bishworjit (4:42:44) had placed first and Nihal (4:47:47), second.

Nihal who has been featured before on this blog, spoke to Latha Venkatraman, a few days after the competition in Goa in mid-November. The following is a description of Nihal’s passage to the event in 2022 and his experience on race day, narrated from the athlete’s point of view:

Towards the latter part of 2021, my focus was on running with a little bit of cycling as well in the mix. Swimming was completely off as due to the pandemic swimming pools were shut.

Around the end of 2021, I started swimming in a lake as I was set to participate in the 70.3 Bergman Triathlon at Kolhapur in January 2022. That race went well (Nihal won this race). Thereafter, I was focused on the Berlin Marathon. I had registered for the race in Germany. Until early September my focus was on running. I cycled mainly for cross-training and I still wasn’t doing much swimming.

At the end of August 2022, I felt burnt-out from the training. I stopped training. I decided not to go for the Berlin Marathon, which was slated for end of September 2022. I was not enjoying my workouts. I thought it was prudent to stop training. But the burn-out did not disappear fast. For a week I stopped training completely. Yet I did not feel better. Then, I started swimming and began feeling okay. I was able to focus on my swimming. From the middle of September till the end of the month I swam regularly. After that I went home to Guntur in Andhra Pradesh for three weeks. I took my bicycle with me. I could not swim there because there is no pool. I did some strength training and cycling. I was there till October 25.

When I returned, I had just 20 days left for the Ironman 70.3 in Goa. There wasn’t much time. I started running, cycling and swimming. I also did a few key workouts. I was not specifically training for Ironman. I had been training throughout the pandemic doing one or the other of the disciplines constituting the triathlon. I was fit. I decided to attempt the triathlon in Goa on the strength of my fitness, which I had developed over the earlier months.

In terms of weather, it was hotter this time and humid. Last time in Goa, because of the continuous showers in the run-up to the race it was much cooler. But sea conditions were rough last time compared to this time when the sea was much calmer. In 2022, there were no currents. The conditions for swimming were better. I did the swim segment in much better timing compared to the last time.

However, weather conditions for cycling and running were harsher. The overall temperature was higher. This time there was significant change in the cycling route. There was a lot of rolling hills and some elevation to tackle. Most of the route was through highways, which made progress faster. That was offset by the elevation, which made things tough. Because of lack of adequate training, I could not push much in the cycling segment. At the same time, I did not lose much ground here. Pablo Erat from Switzerland was strong in the bike segment. He had a 15-minute lead on the bike. He was there in the 2019 edition of the race and had done well in the swim and the bike segments.

By the time I started running it was quite hot. The race started at 7:40 AM. I got to the running portion at 10:45 AM. The sun was out. Last time, it was overcast and slightly windy and that had helped. I knew that if I pushed too hard while running, I may hit a wall. I started at a conservative pace. When I started running, I was in seventh position overall. I was sure I would cover this gap. Pablo was ahead of me but with time he started to slow down. After the first loop, Bishworjit Saikhom, the previous edition’s winner, was ahead of me. During the second loop I was able to overtake Bishworjit at the eighth kilometre-mark. After overtaking Bishworjit, I was still second. Pablo was about 8-10 minutes ahead of me. I pushed slightly to see how well I would be able to cover the gap. When I was at around 10 kilometres, I saw Pablo slowing down considerably. At that point I knew that I would be able to take the lead soon. It happened at around 12.5 kilometres. At this point I knew that if I could hold my pace, I would win the race. I slowed down in the third lap due to a sensation of cramps around my inner thighs but by then I knew my pace was considerably better than others and so I won’t get passed.

Ironman 70.3 Goa is a tough event. I have done Bahrain Ironman, which boasts the fastest course in the world. In 2019 I did Colombo Ironman, which was as challenging as Goa though the bike route was pretty much flat. I am mentally in a good space now. I think I should start my training again. I want to focus on marathons and triathlons. I plan to train for both simultaneously. I haven’t done a full Ironman yet. I might do one soon but I haven’t decided when and which race to attempt.

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

A morning in late September, social media indicated that Geeno Antony was in Thiruvananthapuram.

Two days later, I found myself waiting for him at a small café close to the city’s Raj Bhavan (governor’s residence). In the months following lockdown and pandemic, the café had become favourite meeting place for my friends and I (when I was in town). We were the odd lot; on the wrong side of age in a clientele dominated by college students. On the other hand, the oddness didn’t matter. The need to hang out and converse over coffee isn’t the birth right of any one demographic. So, there I sat, waiting for the best ultra-runner from Thiruvananthapuram yet.  

While his periodic podium finishes saw Geeno mentioned on this blog from a couple of years ago, my first meeting with this athlete from the Indian Army was in July 2022, at the IAU 24H Asia & Oceania Championships in Bengaluru. Part of the Indian men’s team, which took gold at the event, Geeno had placed third in the individual category covering 238.977 kilometers in the assigned 24-hour period (that’s more than the distance from Kerala’s capital city to its commercial capital, Kochi). When the competition concluded (Amar Singh Devanda of India who ran 257.62 kilometers was overall winner), it was a sight very different from the usual city marathons. Exhaustion was writ large on the face of most athletes. Some couldn’t stand up and had to be wheeled in on wheelchairs or supported by others for the short walk to the podium. Notwithstanding battered body, there were smiles. It’s the one thing the universe promises distance runners – after all the sweat and hardship, there is an enjoyable peace. In that lot of tired, happy people, was Geeno. Cheering him were his wife and parents.

Born in Chalakkudy in central Kerala, Geeno grew up at Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram. Thumba is close to the sea. It is flat terrain although the city of Thiruvananthapuram nearby, built on seven hills, sports plenty of uphill and downhill. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), part of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is located in Thumba, its presence marked for years by the weekly launch of a sounding rocket. Geeno’s parents are speech and hearing-impaired. Both father and mother were into sports. Within their category of physical challenge, they did well in sports. His father played table tennis while his mother captained the state volleyball team for the speech and hearing-impaired.

Thanks to his track record in sports, Geeno’s father could secure employment at ISRO. The job provided the family, quarters to stay in and Geeno, a school to study at. The boy was active in sports and by the time he reached eleventh standard had begun to show promise in athletics and games. He went for competitions within the world of CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) schools. An early sign of potential was when he topped Thiruvananthapuram district in 2000m, for boys under 16 years of age.  On another instance, he topped the state in 1500m. But at the subsequent nationals, he failed to secure podium position. While in the eleventh standard he attended trials at the local arm of the Sports Authority of India (SAI). He was selected for training but couldn’t do justice to it because he was doing too many things at school, ranging from an interest in dance to being part of the National Cadet Corps (NCC).

In the twelfth standard, Geeno secured a second place at state level in the 1500m but like before, returned empty handed from the nationals. Following school, he joined St Xavier’s College in Thumba to do his graduation in physics. He played basketball and handball. Within a year of being at college, he applied to join the army. Based on his success in the selection process plus his NCC background, he was drafted into the Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (EME) arm of the Indian Army. Thumba gave way to Bhopal; that was the location for soldier’s training.

Shortly after reporting to Bhopal, Geeno was selected to play basketball at the company level. But it was a case of limited progress thereafter. He lacked the height to tackle further competition in basketball. Ability at sports is valued in the army, especially against the backdrop of contests between the army’s units. Following that lack of progression in basketball, Geeno got selected for cross-country running, hockey and handball. Upon the first half of his training concluding in Bhopal, he was shifted to Vadodara. Once the whole period of training was over, he received his first posting – it was to Allahabad. The day after he reported, he ran his first cross-country race there and ended up first. Then like before, the circulation through various games for company’s prestige, commenced.

Amidst this, noticing his performance in cross-country, Geeno’s colleagues suggested that he try his hand at training to be a paratrooper. Consequently, in May 2013, he reported at the relevant training centre in Agra for selection. A battery of tests spread over a month, followed. He cleared most of them but couldn’t clear the one in which he had to perform with maximum load. Plus, he did well in cross-country. A second chance to get through the tests he didn’t clear, was offered. He cleared all except one. Unfortunately, a further attempt wasn’t possible because it was time to pack up and return.

“ I took this reversal in fortunes rather badly,’’ Geeno said. In the army, living up to expectations and the goals one sets for oneself, matter. He felt that he had let himself and his colleagues, down. A phase of disinterest in sports and a degree of self-neglect crept in. Things changed a bit, when he was transferred from Allahabad to Dibrugarh. Compared to Allahabad, Dibrugarh was away from India’s hustle and bustle. Slowly Geeno got back to running. It was difficult. “ Even one to two kilometres of running felt tough,’’ he said of the climb back from a depressing phase. But luck continued to dodge him. He applied for selection to the National Security Guard (NSG). They didn’t have any vacancy. In due course, Geeno moved within the EME, to Nashik. Here, his fortunes improved.  To begin with, he found that he could get time to train. Courtesy his colleagues, Subedar J. N. J. Charles and Havildar K. B. Reddy, who were into cycling and distance running, he got introduced to the marathon.

Well, introduced isn’t the correct word. It was more of a revisit. In the past, soon after he completed twelfth standard, Geeno had attended long distance races in Kottayam and Kochi. He also did a half marathon from Neyyattinkara to Thiruvananthapuram and while in college, had placed seventh in the Kerala University’s cross-country competition. In Nashik, he placed second in the defence category in the half marathon he participated in (it was otherwise a civilian event). He took one hour, 25 minutes to cover the distance. Taking note of the performance, his company gave him permission to attempt another half marathon in Aurangabad. But there he finished in “ seventh or eighth’’ spot. In January 2019, Geeno ran his first full marathon in Nashik and finished nineteenth with timing of three hours, 13 minutes. This was followed by a first place in the Golden Peak Half Marathon, a 22 kilometre-run up the hill called Ponmudi near Thiruvananthapuram. In February 2019, he tried his hand at the Deccan Ultra but lost his way on the trails and came off, a Did Not Finish (DNF). However, he didn’t lose hope. He registered for the 2019 Hennur Bamboo Ultra in Bengaluru. It set him up to try running 100 kilometres.

One of the things Geeno lacked from school to Hennur, was proper training. He also missed having a good coach. In the army, he would get help from his colleagues. But mostly, he was on his own. The abrupt transitions reveal it. He didn’t think much about jumping from 21K to 42K, a transition amateur runners spend a great deal of time, training for. Similarly, he didn’t think deeply about moving from 42K to 100K. He just dove into the opportunity. “ I was unaware of the correct training methods,’’ Geeno said. To prepare for the race in Hennur, in addition to whatever regular running he did, he added a couple of 40K runs. As things turned out, Geeno finished first in the 100K at Hennur. Eventually, the Hennur run became important for another reason as well. It was here that Geeno got to know of stadium runs and the upcoming stadium run in Mumbai organized by NEB Sports.

Geeno and two colleagues from the army decided to try the 12 hour-category in the stadium run. They had two months to prepare. The outcome was encouraging. In Mumbai, Geeno placed first in the 12 hour-category for men. He covered 109 kilometres in the allotted time. One thing leads to another. At the event he met Sunil Chainani and Nagraj Adiga, both closely associated with the selection and grooming of Indian ultra-running teams. They told him of the upcoming selection for the 100K team scheduled to participate in the Asia & Oceania Championships due in Jordan. To be eligible for consideration, Geeno would need to run 100 kilometres in nine hours. It required training. To his great luck and joy, his commanding officer in Nashik comprehended Geeno’s need. Col Joshi made sure that Geeno was transferred to Secunderabad, where EME had its base for sports. But there was a problem and it is something many ultra-runners in India talk of.

Ultra-running is not an Olympic sport yet. Because of this, it escapes the attention of those putting together specialized training programmes for various disciplines. Such efforts in distance running typically favour the long-established middle-distance races and the marathon. They are firmly Olympic and therefore supported by sports organizations, sponsors and the government, as regards focused training. Although its distances exceed that of the marathon and an ultramarathon entails much effort by the runner, it is not awarded the importance it deserves. It is a victim of the distortion in perception, excessive emphasis on the Olympics causes.

Notwithstanding the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) setting up a committee to oversee the sport in India, compared to other disciplines in running, the ultra-marathon exists a bit of an orphan. Further city marathons have spread awareness of the marathon far and wide. People know what it is. But an ultra-marathon (as athletes themselves told this blog) may still be greeted with questions from the public asking about its purpose. Why do you run 100 kilometres? What do you get out of it? – such questions nowadays spared for the marathon, haunt the ultra-marathon.

When Geeno arrived in Secunderabad with preparation for the ultra-marathon in mind, the bulk of local training in athletics was focused on the middle-distances and the marathon. He had two weeks to prepare for the Indian team-selection in the 100K. Physical training is only one element of the ultra-marathon; there is in addition, mental training and aspects like nutrition. He designed his training as best as he could. On the day of the run for team selection, nutrition felled him – a few hours into the event, he ate something inappropriate and his stomach went for a toss. Geeno was forced to seek a second chance. Then, post-medication and availing the second chance, he ran for 12 hours covering 126 kilometres. What’s 12 hours and 126 kilometres doing here when the goal was to cover 100 kilometres in nine hours? – you may ask. Geeno explained: the 12-hour run was availed as part of three options offered that year to gain eligibility for potential selection. The options were: completing The Comrades Marathon (it is actually an ultramarathon of 89 kilometres) in South Africa in a certain time, managing 100K in nine hours and covering more than 120 kilometres in 12 hours. Roughly three weeks after he gained the above said eligibility, Geeno ran the Hyderabad Marathon and finished first in the open category with timing of two hours, 57 minutes. Then, excited at the possibility of going abroad as part of an Indian team, he busied himself acquiring a passport. Unfortunately, even as he gained eligibility to be considered for the Indian team, he didn’t get selected because there were others with better performances to their credit. But Geeno didn’t give up.

Something about how he fared during the 12 hour-run told him that a 24-hour run wouldn’t be too great a stretch to attempt. As before, he didn’t think. “ Had there been somebody to advise me, I wouldn’t have increased the challenge levels so fast,’’ Geeno said. On the bright side, despite such jerky transitions, he hasn’t sustained any injury. In February 2020 with a view to chasing a place in the Indian team in the 24-hour category, he participated in the Tuffman stadium run in Chandigarh. Eligibility to be considered for the team was set at 205 kilometres. Geeno did 209 kilomteres to place third in the stadium run. But then, the Asia & Oceania Championships in the discipline scheduled to be held in Bengaluru was cancelled due to the onset of COVID-19. There was no Indian team to submit eligibility to. Worse, the pandemic spelt cancellation of events across the board. Worldwide running slipped into the grips of a great slow down. It would take the sport, a few months to get moving again; normalcy was a long way off.

In July 2020, Geeno got married to Josmy Joesph, who has a background in sports. In school she had been a race-walker. By the time she was working with sports goods retailer Decathlon in Kochi, she had successfully transitioned her competence in race-walking to long distance running. She had settled into the half marathon as her chosen discipline and was once a podium finisher (second place) in the open category in Kochi’s annual Spice Coast Marathon. According to Josmy who now works as a fitness trainer, in her days of peak performance, she could manage a half marathon in an hour and 30 minutes.

Roughly six months after his marriage and still pursuing his dream of being in the Indian team, in January 2021, Geeno participated in the 24-hour category at a NEB stadium run in Bengaluru. He logged 219 kilometres and placed second. But any further leveraging of the performance for prospective place in an Indian team stood diminished as the World Championship due in Romania was first postponed due to the pandemic and later, cancelled. Yet another avenue to be in the team, opened up through hard work, appeared shut.

Not one to give up, at the next 24-hour stadium run of August, Geeno ran 227 kilometres. This time, his luck held. He was accepted into the Indian team for the 2022 IAU 24H Asia & Oceania Championships. He had adequate time to prepare for the event slated to be held in July 2022. Training largely on his own, he structured the first phase of his training around inputs gathered from YouTube. For the second half, he also gathered inputs from colleagues and fellow runners. At the end of the IAU competition in Bengaluru, with a third place on the podium earned, he must have been happy. The road leading to that podium finish had been a long struggle.

“ People ask me – why do you do this? Why do you run such long distances? All I can say is – the satisfaction you get is beyond measure,’’ Geeno said. The search for a purpose in running amuses him. “ Why do you do this? What do you get out of it? These are the questions bothering everyone. The questions based on which anything gets done,’’ he said laughing about the human obsession with reward. For most of us, satisfaction it would seem, counts low as reward. Promise of money, fame, promotion at job – they count. Coffee and chat done, we split for the day. Geeno and his scooter, disappeared into Thiruvananthapuram’s evening traffic.

Two weeks later, we were at his house near Nehru Junction in Thumba. It is a locality changed initially by the establishment of VSSC nearby and subsequently, by the ascent of Thiruvananthapuram’s IT industry in Kazhakkoottam, part of the region’s extended neighbourhood. A balcony, two cups of Kashmiri kahwa tea, a clutch of cookies and a conversation featuring neither rocketry nor information technology. Having seen him communicate with his father during a video call at the café, I had asked him on the drive to the house, whether he had formally learnt sign language. It turned out, Geeno hadn’t. He picked up the signs he used much the same way a child picks up language. Back in time, there was a phase in his childhood, when the absence of normal conversation and language at home, made him tad slow to speak. He overcame that.

From among the three ultra-running disciplines, he has been exposed to – 100K, 12-hour run and the 24-hour run, he believes the 24-hour category is his calling. In that space, going ahead, he hopes to be at a world championship one day. Aside from being part of an Indian team, the motivation therein includes the opportunity to see first class ultra-runners in action. Geeno is not in a hurry. Ultra-running has traditionally been kind towards older human beings. Sterling performances have been reported from people in their forties and fifties. Narrowed down to the requirements of world class competition, Geeno thinks, peak performance these days for an elite ultra-runner may be at 37-38 years of age or thereabout. As of October 2022, he was 29 years old.

(The author, Shyam G Menon, is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai. This article is based on two sets of conversation with Geeno. The sequence of events, the dates of competitions and the timings at races are as mentioned by the interviewee.)

The numbers bewitch: 2:01:09, 30 seconds lopped off and the man does it at 37 years of age.

Olympic champion and world marathon record holder, Eliud Kipchoge, rewrote his marathon world record at the 2022 edition of the Berlin Marathon held on September 25, 2022. The 37 year-old Kenyan great covered the 42.2 kilometres-distance in two hours, one minute and nine seconds, chopping off 30 seconds from his previous world record of 2:01:39 set in Berlin in 2018.

Kipchoge ran the first half of the race in 59 minutes and 51 seconds and the second half in 61 minutes and 18 seconds. His first half pace raised hopes of the legend doing a sub-two-hour marathon but after that pace started to drop in the second half, the possibility of a sub-two was ruled out. For the moment, it leaves the unofficial sub-two he ran in October 2019 (1:59:40.2 at the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Austria), as an instance of human performance achieved under circumstances very different from that of a regular race.

In the women’s segment at Berlin, Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa smashed the course record by more than two minutes with a 2:15:37 finish. In the process, she became the third fastest woman marathon runner in the world. Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei holds the women’s world record of 2:14:14 set in Chicago in 2019. Paula Radcliffe, the earlier world record holder (2:15:25) is the second fastest after Kosgei. Going into the race, Assefa was not among those fancied to win; she had run only one major marathon before – the 2022 Riyadh Marathon, where she registered a timing of 2:34:00. In Berlin on Sunday, she produced a faster pace for the second half of the race.   

In the men’s race, Kenyan runner Mark Korir finished in 2:05:58, almost five minutes behind Kipchoge. In third place was Tadu Abate of Ethiopia (2:06:28). In the women’s race, Rosemary Wanjiru of Kenya finished second in 2:18 and Tigist Abayechew of Ethiopia finished third with a timing of 2:18:03.

In its report, Runner’s World pointed out that Sunday’s world record breaking performance was Kipchoge’s 17th win from 19 marathon starts. Two of the 19 starts were demo races that were ineligible for records. At the 2013 Berlin Marathon, he had finished second and in 2020, he had placed eighth in the year’s London Marathon. Kipchoge has run four of the five fastest times in the marathon so far.

The course of the Berlin Marathon is flat; it has played host to many record-breaking performances in the discipline. Besides 2022, Kipchoge won in Berlin in 2015, 2017 and 2018. In its report, NBC Sports noted, “The last eight instances the men’s marathon world record has been broken, it has come on the pancake-flat roads of Berlin. It began in 2003, when Kenyan Paul Tergat became the first man to break 2:05.’’ According to it, Kipchoge’s focus now is to be a three-time Olympic champion (he has been crowned twice – 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo; the next Olympic Games is in Paris in 2024) and also win the six World Marathon Majors (he is yet to run the city marathons of Boston and New York).

(The authors, Latha Venkatraman and Shyam G Menon, are independent journalists based in Mumbai.)

Gitanjali finishes fourth in her age category

The 2022 edition of Comrades Marathon was held in August.

The ultramarathon, held annually in South Africa, was happening after a gap of two years lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participation of Indian long-distance runners in the event, has been increasing over the past few years. This year’s race was downhill starting from Pietermaritzburg and ending at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. The ultramarathon, measuring approximately 90 kilometres, usually alternates between uphill and downhill routes. This year’s downhill route measured 89.895 km.

Thane-based Gitanjali Lenka was the fastest finisher from among Indian women runners in 2022. Kartik Joshi from Indore was the fastest male finisher from India.

Gitanjali,50, finished the race in eight hours, 52 minutes and 58 seconds. This makes her the second fastest finisher among Indian women in the years since Indians began appearing at this ultramarathon. In June 2017, Kolkata-based Anjali Saraogi had completed the ultramarathon in 8:38:23, the fastest time yet by an Indian woman.

Among Indian men, Kartik Joshi was the fastest finisher this year with a timing of 7:51:56. He is the third fastest finisher among Indian male runners so far. Sandeep Kumar of Surat is the fastest finisher yet, having covered the course in 7:30:17 in the 2018 edition. Deepak Bandbe, the second fastest finisher, completed the race in 7:43:34 in 2019.

Besides the time she clocked, Gitanjali was also the fourth finisher in her age category of 50 to 59 years. She missed her age category-podium by a small margin. This was Gitanjali’s second outing at the Comrades Marathon. In 2019, she finished in 11:36:16 hours. The nearly three-hour improvement in her timing comes after a rigorous training schedule set for her by her coach, Ashok Nath.

Gitanjali attributed the improvement in her timing to her coach Ashok Nath’s training and nutrition methods. “ I followed my coach’s plan very meticulously. I could sense the difference between 2019 and this year, when I stood at the start line of Comrades. Back then, I was clearly nervous,” she said.

There were days when she would step out for a training run in the bright sunshine and growing heat of mid-morning as she had to complete her responsibilities at home. Through the lockdown of pandemic when many runners took a break from running, Gitanjali continued her training relentlessly.

She enrolled with Ashok Nath in February 2019, a few months before her first attempt at Comrades. A gritty runner, the main focus in Gitanjali’s training was to get her fit, Ashok said. “ For an ultramarathon, the reason for running such long distance is critical to keep going when the body says: stop. Getting Gitanjali to understand her purpose or reason was a focal point in the training,” he said.

“ Cardio is over-rated in an ultra and most err on the side of overdoing it. It is equally sheer fitness and mental strength that are crucial,” Ashok explained. In the three years of Gitanjali’s training – the intervening years between her first and second outing at Comrades – these two elements, fitness and purpose, were incorporated well, he added.

Gitanjali’s journey in running commenced in 2016 when she signed up for Hiranandani Thane Half Marathon. The run is held annually at the Hiranandani residential colony where Gitanjali resides. “ A couple of my friends would go for this run every year. I decided to sign up for the 2016 edition, choosing the 10 km distance. I had no clue about running or its attire,” she said. Gitanjali finished the run in 1:19:11. At the end of the run she realized that she finished easily without any strain despite the absence of any training while many others were “ huffing and puffing at the finish line”. Two months later, she signed up for another 10 km race, finished within one hour and landed on the podium.

She has found herself on the podium quite a few times since.

Prior to 2016, barring the occasional sports day outing while at school and college in Cuttack, Odisha, Gitanjali had not been involved in sports formally. But she was always focused on fitness through the years of her college life, marriage and later as a mother of two children.

Once she took to running seriously, she signed up with coach Haridasan Nair for training. During the many running events she attended thereafter, Gitanjali began familiarizing herself with details of the sport. Among other things she heard of Boston Marathon and the stringent qualifying timing required for the race.

Gitanjali had started running ultramarathons without actually running a marathon in a formal sense. Her running is marked by many podium finishes but along the way she was dogged by injury forcing her to pause her running for some time until she recovered from it.

Her training for Comrades 2022 commenced in April. “ I would wake up at 3:30 AM and get out at 4:30 for the training run. Initially, I stuck to a one-kilometre loop until daylight appeared and then stretched the loop as per my plan for the day,” she said. Her training included two days of strength workout. Her weekly mileage during the months of May, June and July was in the range of 150-160 km. “ In August, the focus was on speed running,” she said.

Comrades done; she is slated to go for the 2022 Berlin Marathon later in September. As for the Boston Marathon, having qualified for it, she is scheduled to participate in the 2023 edition of the race in April next year.  “ I would love to focus on ultra-running as ultras are my preferred distance,” she said adding that she, would however like to complete her pursuit of the World Marathon Majors.

For Kartik Joshi, the 2022 Comrades was his first international running event. He had a comfortable run for much of the 89.895 km-long course in South Africa. “ I found the last 10 km quite tough. The wind was quite strong,” he said. He had a tough time on the nutrition front as he is vegetarian. “ Going forward I will have to figure out my nutrition if I am going to be running international events,” he said.

Twenty-year-old Kartik started running during his senior school days. “ During my school days I would often see the personnel at the Rustamji Armed Police Training College in Indore. I was inspired, seeing them run,” he said.

Seeing the police personnel run, Kartik was prompted to attempt running himself. “ On the first day I ran about 500 metres and spent the rest of the hour watching runners. A few of them were running slow but they kept going for a long time,” he said adding that he eventually chose to run long distances.

Kartik took up running in a serious fashion at the age of 15 and over the past five years have participated in a number of half marathons, marathons and ultramarathons. The ultramarathons that Kartik participated include Hennur Bamboo Ultra 250 km, 12-hour and 24-hour stadium runs, Backyard Ultra and Malnad Ultra.

He lost a year at school after his father Om Prakaesh Joshi went into coma due to health problems. Further in 2021, Kartik had to take up a job midway through his college education after his father suffered a heart attack. At 20, he is in the process of completing his degree and attempting an entry into the armed forces.

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