"An ultrarunner need a finish line to stay sane, but if it obsesses him, he's doomed" - Scott Jurek
24 hour Stadium Run 2017. Friday, 28th July 2017
I had e-mailed the organizers a few days back, Requested permission to run 48 hrs. I thought that it would be a good training run. Later I got a reply stating, I was to run the 24 hour event. Whatever, maybe thats for the better, I thought. Besides, I wont get 3 days off work as I'm always on weekend shifts. Sigh! Such is life.
Race day:
Woke up early. I wanted to maximize rest but there is some anxiety within me. Thought I'll go out for a run, then decided against it. I have a lot of chores to do, u see. Cooked some rice and ate. Had to load some music into my China phone. Cleaned up my place. Packed my stuff in a single handbag and left on my motorbike. Reached stadium early - maybe 3pm.
I stood quietly and received my bib from Arjuna awardee Reeth Abraham. Pleasantries exchanged. Felt honored to be wished well by her. I was hungry. She personally led me to the next tent and told me to help myself to bisi bele bath and puliogare. Mmm, so tasty. Sat and ate. Met Aparajitha who offered me potatoes to eat. She told that she was doing 24hr too but on Saturday evening. She's so short and petite, wonder If I had seen an ultra runner like her before. Still 3 hrs to go. Donno what to do. Took my stuff and went and laid down on a patch of grass for some shut-eye. Didnt get any sleep but managed to relax. As time approached, I was getting nervous. Saw the stalwarts of Indian ultra running enter the arena. The who's who of distance running was here - from far and near. I have mentioned some of their names in Italics in this piece. This is a "by invitation only" event. Still some time left. Finished my ablutions in the restrooms in the stands. Decent facilities, I made a mental note. Time passes and its 5.30 pm. We are all called for the briefing. I'm in slot A for 24 hrs which means, I'm in the first wave of runners doing 24hrs. I'll start along with the 48 hr guys. Plenty of group pics are taken as the 48 hr guys seem to be goofing around.
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| Standing next to the ever-smiling Prashant |
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| All smiles. Maybe for the last time |
After what seems like eternity, the rain subsides. I check my Garmin only to find the display has conked off. Water has seeped in and that's it - RIP Garmin forerunner 110 :( . You have served me well. I tell Shweta to go home. Her presence is distracting me somewhat. Need to focus. All this while it's just been ambling along. After her departure, I remind myself that its a long way ahead. Let me break this hour by hour. The rules is that the running direction around the track changes every hour. Thats such a relief. Pretty zoned in by now. Keep assessing my physical state. Seems ok, but my legs feel heavy. I realize that its my socks. Injini toe socks have served me well so far. However, water inside the shoe is not good for running. I decide to remove my shoe and try barefoot. Mind you, I've never done this before. I'm too concerned about the long-term well-being of my soles. Exposed feet implies greater chances for external injuries. Heck, I need a change I thought and yank off my shoes and socks. Now, sans shoe, I feel great. Flying on the track. Free speed! I yell and take off. The next few hours go by event-less.
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| LL Meena and Navin. Super stars. |
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| Meditative state? Naah. |
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| Barefoot running. Nice, upright and relaxed form here. |
I contemplate a change of attire. Nope, that would take time. So, I change my tee and continue through the night. This is just boring.
Chatting with few of the big guns, the 48 hr runners.
Thats Inderpal Khalsa from Mumbai. He reminded me of India 's fastest marathon time till date. Shivnath Singh 2.12. He ran barefoot all his life. Thats when I thought I should try it too.
Chatted with Jagdish Damania sir. The veteran I met earlier at Malnad Ultra. He was in the organizing committee there. He just kept shuffling along. He considers himself a walker who doesnt take too many breaks. Thats humbleness for you. Told me to carry on. No, I felt honored to talk by his side. Imagined the miles he would have run. Just the respect for his experience was overwhelming. Never mind my pace.
Every few hours they announced the race leaders in each category. First time I heard my name being announced. In the 24 hour category, Shashwat Rao 1st place. I couldn't believe it. Really? I wanted to call someone and tell. No. I made a vow to myself. I'm gonna hold onto this position till the next time. And the next and so on.. This is only me against the clock.
The relay runners are about to finish and are going strong. Sampath has this fluent gait which enabled him to maintain good pace and emerge first. Aakriti followed shortly. After they finished I high-fived them. Told her "you may kick me, but after 6 pm."
Every six hours there is a mandatory medical check. I am asked to go into the tent for that. But runners are waiting for their turn there. That irked me and I run a couple of more laps before I head in. Its way past midnight now. I havent stopped and eaten since. I feel fine. BP seems ok. Aaa! I yell as I'm pricked and medics draw blood from my finger. Blood sugar shows 60. Its quite low, I'm told. Instructed to eat ASAP. Now, I donno if this is strict race instructions liable for further action or just a friendly advice. I tell him I'll eat right away and head out and glug some coke and grab some grub - chips, biscuits etc. Munch down some chikki and keep going. Next time around, I show him the thumbs-up and he waves me along.
Ran for some more hours. At this stage, most impressive among the 48 hr big-shots were Amit Kumar from Chandigarh, Apurba Das (eventual winner, very professional approach) and LL Meena. They were maintaining a steady pace all throughout which was commendable (and hard to match). I'm running my own race, I remind myself. Tried to listen to some music. Not happening. My 30 bucks earphone had conked out as well. One ear bud had disintegrated in the rain and fallen off. No fun here.
I see some runners sitting and having soup - Chinese hot and sour type. Aah, let me try that I thought. It was hot - both in temperature and spiciness. Regardless, I downed it and carried on. I felt better. The rain had stopped but the track was still wet. Some sections of the track had mud and tiny stones washed in, so I had to be careful there. I dared to inspect my feet. Skin was tender and I could see the onset of blisters. Do not heed to that, I reminded myself and ran with shoes back on.
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| When will the night end? |
At this stage, the only thing I can look forward to is the sunrise. There is something profoundly optimistic about that. The transition from darkness to light. I often try to train in these transition periods - at dawn and dusk. I find that has really helped me. I ran as dawn approached and the pressure built up in my bowels. I wishfully hoped for a beautiful sunrise. There was none. Cloudy overcast conditions meant that the sun peeked out late. That kept me going on and on. It was Saturday, 29th July, 06.00 am. A group of 12 hr runners started running and that was something new. I saw my buddy Manoj Bhat there along with the rocket Vipul Sharma.
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| Torpedo Alert! Vipul blazes past |
Chatting with Manoj helped pass some more time. Then It was time to download. The toilets in the stands at Kanteerava stadium are surprisingly clean. Finish my business and head back. Its another day, another 'fresh' start.
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| Alongside the uber-talented Manoj Bhat |
Shweta's drops by with hot idlis. How thoughtful of her. An overdose of sugar had trashed my taste buds so far. Breakfast done, I continue trotting along. Running 24 hrs with me was Charan and he was talking to his mates in Kannada. "It rained so hard last night that even my underwear got wet". "Mine still is", I chuckled and kept the mood jovial.
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| Joking with Charan and pals. |
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| Music for a while perhaps? |
Now in this event, I'm treading uncharted waters. Let me point out a few unknowns:
1. There is no final finish line.
2. This involves running around a flat, synthetic track. Its not technical terrain. That implies, only certain muscle groups are engaged repetitively. So, the chances of stress injuries are higher. It is unlike trails, where multiple body parts are active and engaged where such terrain requires concentration and skill.
3. No need to carry water and nutrition along. There's an aid station every 400 meters.
4. I did not have prior running experience around a track, Only a couple of days earlier, I went there after work and ran about 20 miles. Hated it.
5. Competition is unknown. The relative distance between the one ahead of you and the one behind you is left to speculation. Has he/she eaten/rested, can you overtake him/her shortly.. all guesswork. Such calculations are often vague and inaccurate.
6. The joy of reveling in the vivid scenery, embracing the majestic sights and sounds of nature is missing.
On a positive, side note, it is also easier than a trail run in all the above aspects. It's only the clock one has to keep in mind.
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| At the medical tent with Dharma (extreme right) |
How much positivity can you bring upon yourself in such an event? It is mind-numbing. Boredom is putting it mildly. How to stay focused? What is there to stay focused? I wonder. Utterly pointless. Like running on a hamster wheel. Is that a metaphor for life too?
We try to derive meaning in such mundane activity. Our lifestyles are often so unfulfilling that we keep pursuing something elusive, seeking external validations. Cant we find peace in whats present? I aimed to find out.
We live in a world of comforts. Food is delivered to us at our doorsteps, we are spoilt for choice in online shopping. Right from toothpicks to SUVs - its all there. I believe you can date someone by swiping someone's photo left or right. We earn decent money, more than our parents did. We are living it up, it seems.
Yet, we are gloomy. Stressed that our bodies are not perfect, our partners are not perfect, our bank balance is a joke. We often crib, drink away our miseries and cry ourselves to sleep.
We live in a world thats yelling at us to be perfect. You should be Numero Uno or you are Zilch. Any yes, ensure that its duly documented on social media. Go on exotic holidays, tick off that bucket list item. Having fun has become an obligation. There's no denying that.
We are never truly happy, constantly harsh on ourselves. No pat on the back, well done stuff. Instead we reprimand ourselves, push ourselves harder, chase that rank one, stretching our limits - physical, mental social, what have you. Ambition can be a double edge sword swaying between success and obsession.
Can we be not perfect, not ambitious? Oh no! Thats simply not allowed.
All the pain and soreness in the body had taken a backseat as I pondered over these thoughts. Snap back to reality. How long will this go on? Is the end nigh?
What else do I think about during such long solitary hours? Rheea had asked me a few questions earlier. I spent some time articulating my answers to those which can be read here
It was noon by now and the sun above had begun torturing us mercilessly. Time seemed to have passed by quickly and with 6 hours to go, I get my final medical check done quickly.
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| The heat is on! |
Earlier while running with Navin, I asked him about his run-walk 3:1 strategy. Run 3 laps, walk one lap, he told. That gives you one mile at decent pace and low heart rate effort. I adopted this method and found it quite helpful. Even when my body was hurting, I dug deep and pushed through because I knew that after those 3 laps would be 1 lap of recuperation - eating, drinking on the walk.. just cooling off.
One chap I saw really struggling, with sort of a death march gait was Vipin Sharma. "How much more will you run?" he taunted me in Hindi. I just smiled at him and told him to jog along. "No I'm hurting, I might be injured" he told. That remark irked me. I slowed to his pace. " You think this doesn't hurt for me? I have blisters on my feet and stones are rubbing in there. You think this does not hurt for the race leader? You have traveled so far. I want you to have a memorable day, something you can cherish. Come on, give it your all. Its not everyday you get to do this." Saying this, I trotted along. Surprising and most heart warming was to see him jogging the rest of the race. After finishing, his smile was a million watts.
Egging on Vipin Sharma
This was the time I felt was the hottest time in the race, at around 3 pm perhaps. Solid food intake had pretty much vanished and was primarily down to butters, glucose and electrolyte drinks. Jus' Amazin vegan range of butters go down really well for me. I have found them to provide a steady output of calories to my engine and its easy on the stomach too. No GI issues whatsoever.
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| Shweta offering me some nut butter there |
Coca cola was in much demand among runners (including me) and got over quickly at the aid station. Just as I was turning around at the end of the hour, I spotted race director Nagaraj Adiga and mentioned to him about the absence of soda. Immediately, a few orders are sent out and Coca cola is back flowing at the aid station, much to the delight of all runners. Thank you sir, very prompt of you.
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| Chomp-Chomp on the move |
This was also a time to douse my body with water to remain cool. A large container filled with ice floating in water was placed. I wetted my old t-shirt with it and let it flap around overhead while running. Oh! that felt so good.
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| A wet cloth will keep you cool. |
Although my body was aching all over, there were no major signs of injury. My right ankle felt busted, so I resorted to Dynapar QPS Spray which I have found to be helpful in the past. I change my shoe and socks for one final time. I glanced at those huge blisters that had developed on both my toes, then I looked away. Do not show any signs of my struggle. I remember the phrase from Scott Jurek's Eat and Run "You dont want your competitors to know there's a wounded animal around. The wounded animal gets taken down by wolves".
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| Not a happy chappy |
Towards the end, after much trepidation, I also spoke briefly to my inspiration, Arun Bhardwaj. He promised me something for later.
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| Running past the legend himself, Arun Bhardwaj |
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| Pushing through! The end is nigh. |
Now with about an hour remaining, I really zoned in. I had never counted my laps till then. My legs were sore and creaky after all the pounding. I set myself a realistic goal of 25 laps in this final hour. Then the push started. I dont know where I got the energy from but I kept going. Zero walking. Fists clenched, fierce determination. Did not look up till the 25 laps were done. Then, I glance up at the clock to find 10 mins remain. All calculation goes out of the window. The heart is thumping. Its just "I-dont-care-if-I-die" type running. As I cross the last segment of the last lap, I see 15 seconds remain. I sprinted and leaped across the timing mat at 17:59:58 and let it all out. Yeah! Its over.
Epilogue:
What a race. I was leading from start to finish. Nutrition was spot on. As expected, Veganism rocks! Injuries stayed away. Learnt to switch on and off mentally whenever required. Pacing was okay too. Could I have performed better? Certainly. Somehow, this event did not classify to me as one of those "tough" runs. See - your food was there, support was there, weather was good i.e. all external parameters which you have no control of, did not play havoc on your race plans. The chances of something going wrong was minimized in such a controlled environment stadium run.
I got a call to report to office. Then we were called to the stage and results were announced. Shashwat Rao 425 laps, 170 kms. Second place dude: 356 laps. It was such an honour, a privilege to be presented the medal by the great Arjuna awardee, Reeth Abraham. I kept glancing at the sky. Truly humbled I was. Grateful I had two feet. Many from the crowd shook my hand and congratulated me. Some took pics on their phones. I am simply not used to all this. Shied away and went to office.
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| What an honor. Thanks to all. Including Almighty. |
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| Apurba Das. 48 hrs. 296.8 kms |
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| Sunil Sharma aka Maddy. 24 hrs (day2) 192kms. National record. |
I decide to go around the stadium one more time. Personally thank volunteer at the aid station and food tent. Thank Ujjwal. Thank the medical team and also get my blisters burst and dressed clean. For free :). Thank the men at the timing tent - they were up all night. Thank photographer Anju. She's a veteran in the circuit. She did a stellar job in pouring rain and scorching heat and continues to do so. Kudos Anju.
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| Rockstar photographer Anju who captured most of the pics here. Take a bow! |
Then I finally saw him. Arun Bhardwaj was hobbling towards the tent for a nap. I grabbed my bib and pleaded to him in Hindi "Sirjee, you promised me, Autograph please". DETERMINATION DEFIES DEFEAT. He wrote and signed it. "You are my hero, Sir. Whom do you look upto?" I asked. "Everyone's hero is is their mother", he proclaimed. Thats a standout memory of this event which I will cherish forever.
Simply, I summarize this event by this hummable tune:
"Round and around and around and around we go.
Oh now, tell me now, tell me now, tell me now you know..." Stay by Rihanna
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