I felt very happy that I was able to finish the race.” And this statement comes from a man who finished second in the gruelling 75km Ultra Marathon recently. The event was organised by Bangalore-based Runners for Life at Hesaraghatta on the outskirts of the city for the fourth year attracted 800 runners in the 12.5 km, 25 km, 37.5 km, 50 km, 75 km and 100 km categories.
For Sundar, the 27-year-old airline employee from Chennai, run for health has become run for passion. He candidly admits, “Initially I began to run to reduce weight, but now running has become a way of life for me.” Sundar wants to scale the 100km event at next year’s Ultra Marathon.
“Everyone has to run, initially start walking and later motivate yourself to run. The important thing while running, from endurance point of view, is that you have to keep stretching,” he explains as the success mantra.
“Weighttraining and stretches are important for running, if you do this properly you can take up running at any age,” Sundar, who runs in the morning and plays badminton in the evening to develop endurance, states.
In his first ever venture at the Ultra Marathon in Bangalore, Sundar finished second, while also motivating fellow team-mate R. Srikumar (a freelance financial consultant) to complete the 50-km run, also a first time effort for the Chennai 41-year-old.
Sundar cites 84-year-old veteran athlete John to substantiate his theory that a run in the morning will keep you fit as a fiddle. “Amazingly, this 84-year-old man has been winning the 100 metres and hurdles in competitions regularly,” he explains.
“The ultra marathon in Bangalore was a tough course, it was cross country, but it was well organised. I have been training for 9 months, including diet and running up to 40 or 30 kms on Sundays,” he remarks on his preparation for the Ultra Marathon.
“About 2 months ago I tried running 80% of the distance, that is 60 kms and that gave me the confidence. Weight training and stretches are very important, the whole body should support this endeavour, therefore swimming at least once a week is also crucial in preparing for such an effort,” he says.