International Women's Day 2018: Doctor to hold empowerment run for women

SURAT: At 37, this mother of three is a true embodiment of women’s power. Besides completing 10,000 in vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles in her decade-long medical career, she has completed one comrade, considered to be the world’s toughest endurance race, 14 full marathons, 16 half marathons, one ultra-marathon of 54 km and one half Iron Man race across the world. She is the only woman from Gujarat to do so.
For Dr Pooja Nadkarni, daughter of famous IVF specialist Dr Poornima Nadkarni, running is a stress buster. She started running just five years ago at the age of 32 and now she recharges herself whenever she feels fatigued by work. She has organized a 5 km ‘Empowerment Run’ for women in the city on March 8 - the International Women’s Day.

Talking of her experience, Dr Pooja said, “ It was in early 2016 that I was training for my comrade in South Africa at Amby Valley. I started at 11 in the night for a 64-km run and reached Amby Valley at 7 am. On reaching there, we got a call for emergency caesarian operation at 3 pm in Surat. We drove down to Surat and I delivered a healthy baby, completed the medical work and restarted for Lonawala to resume training at night . Despite all this, I never felt any stress.”

Dr Pooja said she has one message for all, especially women. “Physical training brings in lot of discipline in life, which is a must for all people.”

The passion for running helps her get peace within herself. “When I am running, I am in state of meditation. It creates a vacuum in my mind and gives me extra adrenaline and energy to get back to work and run an extra mile. It makes me stronger from within,” said Dr Pooja , mother of 8-year-old twin boys and a 10-year-old son.

Dr Pooja did her schooling in Vallabhasharm School in Killa Pardi near Vapi and her MBBS From B J Medical College in Ahmedabad.