A successful run!

HYDERABAD: Knowing how important it is for one to walk and run, this physiotherapist from Hyderabad, Soma Jagan Mohan Reddy has made his way in achieving his goals. His passion towards running made him a champion in many of the international marathons and now most recently on December 10 and 11, the second edition of Gaudium Stadium Run 2022 that took place in the city. The run that started on Saturday at 6 pm ended on Sunday at 6 pm - 24 hours straight and Jagan who was part of this run, stood first place. CE speaks to him to know about his passion towards running and more.

Speaking about his true love towards running and sharing his experience at the 24-hour Gaudium Stadium Run 2022, Jagan says, “I started long-distance running in the year 2014 at the age of 38 years with a 10k run. I qualified for the Boston Marathon in the year 2019 which is one of the best marathons in the world. I represented India back then. During the lockdown, I had gotten a lot of time and then I went beyond the 42k run. There was an event in Hyderabad that conducted 10 marathons for 10 days. I participated there and I stood first in it as well.

Then I participated in the Stadium Run since it was a lockdown and I used to get off work for 15 days a month. I started training for the 12-hour run, then I participated and this gave me a push to move forward. This year was the second edition and I prepared for two months and took part in the race for 24 hours and won it.”

Running for 24 hours is no game and as a matter of fact, most of them start to feel the pain in their legs even if they stood for a long time, but this runner has proved that with proper training anything is possible. “Normal people cannot think about doing it. This was possible due to my fitness level. I ran for 12 hours and made up my mind to run for 24 hours. I did around 168 kilometres. I could achieve all these as I had mentally fixed myself to win. It was all about self-motivation for me and it was always in my mind to win. We were given around a 4-hour break which included a food break, medical check-ups and use of the washrooms. We have to be on the track for a minimum of 20 hours.”

Explaining his fitness regime and the diet he follows, the runner says, “I regularly run for about 5km to 10km and on Sunday it is mostly 21 plus km. If you run more than 100 kilometres weekly then your endurance levels will be improved. I will be running and I will never stop. My day starts at 5 am and I train people during the morning hours. I do not have food from outside, I come back home and have my food and this has become my routine.”

Moving on forward with his passion, he says, “I want to finish my major marathons, there are six major ones Boston, Chicago, Tokyo, Berlin, New York and London. I have finished two Boston and Chicago. My present aim is to complete the rest.”