‘Push your limits fearlessly’

A stray glance at Priya Darshini and the first things that leave you charmed will be her eloquent mannerism and a contagious smile. Talk to her about her dream run, and her eyes light up in delight. Nearly two years ago, Priya Darshini became the first Indian woman to have completed the Himalayan 100 mile Ultra Marathon.

“The only race I had ever run before that was in grade second at a school event,” she laughs, adding, “I never considered myself a runner, but today it’s more than a passion.”
A chance call from her friend Ram, who had just completed a 250 km Gobi Desert run, left her with a rumble in the stomach — she had to do something as challenging. He tempted her to participate in one of the toughest ultra marathons of the world — the 100 mile Himalayan run.

An ultra marathon is any sporting event involving running longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kms. It was venturing into completely uncharted territory. She set off to Andhra Pradesh and Bangalore, which she considers as more running friendly. The challenges were many.

However, she knew she didn’t want to give up. “It was this raging desire to overcome, to outdo, to push the limits, to redefine myself and find someone in me I didn’t know,” she states.

After three months of rigorous physical and mental training, she reached the race destination — Maneybhejung (alt 6,600ft). Through the next three days, she meticulously sprinted through the steepest slopes and most intricate terrains, her body ached like never before, toe nails began peeling off, she began hallucinating out of fatigue and worst of all, she felt as if she was dying.

The voice recorder that she used to record is proof of how difficult the race was and how many times she wanted to give up. She was gasping for breath by the end of it.

However, something that remains etched in her mind forever is the encouragement she received from the jawans posted at the 10,000 feet mark. “India Chak de!,” they excitedly shrieked on seeing an Indian traversing through these tough roads.

Those perfectly timed words motivated her like never before. Though the boot camp-like arrangements tested her endurance and deteriorating health of her fellow participants left her terrified, the loud applause and cheers that she got when she finally completed the race settled it all.

But more than the accolades, it was this feeling of ‘absolute’ peace, as she likes to describe it, which engulfed her into a different unfamiliar world of hers that she otherwise wouldn’t have explored.

‘The harder you try, the easier it gets’, seems to be her motto. Today, she looks at running as an  eco-friendly way of keeping fit. Though she will not be able to participate in the Mumbai Marathon this Sunday due to some prior commitments, she advises everyone “Take one step at a time and keep it going.”

So also, she hopes that ‘running’ doesn’t become a marathon-day phenomenon for them. “We need to push our limits fearlessly and not succumb to everyday monotony, and running is the easiest way to do that,” she says.