Arun Bharadwaj – One in a billion, literally!

He inspires me. There are many more who will say the same, but I’ll let them tell you their story. As a Globeracer, it gives me immense pleasure to share the story of our association with him. It goes back to the days when Globeracers was dreaming about ultra races in India, and researching Indian ultra runners. From here on, I’ll give you a personal narration as, well, I am a Globeracer as well!

Google (it is undoubtedly one of the most extensively cataloged sources of information) threw up his name when I looked up Indian Ultra runners. His blog, extensively written, had me wondering how any one missed his record setting runs all these years! India has only two fan followings, one for cricket and the other for bollywood stars, or so it seemed until recently atleast!

I wrote to him that day inquiring after his interest in the Ultra race Globeracers was putting on in the Thar Desert in December 2009. His reply came promptly, with an inquiry: “Isn’t the distance of 42km per day too short?”. I couldn’t help but smile 🙂 This is the man I wanted to speak with, and should. He later wrote back saying that his schedules were packed and he also preferred to run a continuous race rather than a staged 5-day race.

With my own packed schedules, I postponed further communication with him until October 2009 when I proposed he run the entire distance of 210km at a go, inserting him in to the race on the 4th day, joining other runners. He came back with a positive reply, and that is the fantabulous beginning to an association, and friendship I know I will cherish personally, and Globeracers will be proud to have him at any and all of its races. He ran Thar Run 2009, 210 kms, in 31 hours 20 min, a record for any Indian runner.

GR Photofile: Arun on the first day of his 210km run at Thar Run 2009.

Since then he won the South Africa race in April 2010, a record again for any Indian runner. Stats and articles on his South Africa race are here.

Arun during South Africa's 6-day race, clocking 567kms in total

Arun Bharadwaj at South Africa's 6-day race

Arun braving rain, slush, and cold during South Africa's 6-day race in April 2010 and clocking 567kms

I personally look forward to see him run through (pun intended 🙂 ) as many barriers as any one will seek to throw in his direction. Will post a brief on his inspiring story on the difficulties he overcame since the day he dared to dream. I humbly salute this wonderful man who possesses a strong and indomitable spirit.

Manchinbele Century Ride 06/06/10

I have been wanting to do a long ride over the weekends, and give my training a push (which I keep repeating since the momentum never sustains! J ). Suma and I set out on a century ride. It had been raining the previous day, and it was on its way out that morning.

GR Photofile: Suma on the section through villages.

Few kilometers in to the ride, I felt my muscles loosen up, felt the cool breeze and freshness of rain soaked earth. If you ride in India, you are a no stranger to unpredictable traffic, brash pedestrians, and friendly cattle 🙂  About 20kms in to the ride, I got off the road to let a bus pass, and as it pulled in to a local bus stop, I stayed to its left to cross the now stationary bus.  As I left the margin to get back on the road, misjudging level of rain soaked mud, I skidded. Bus had just started to leave the busstop and, my first thought was for my safety. I rolled over and looked up to find myself right in front of the bus tires, and by the time I could react, bus came to a stand still, having barely started to move. Conductor was standing on the steps and was aghast. I barely had time to thank him for alerting the driver, before Suma caught up and pointed to the damage to my knee and helped me clean up. Never leave home with a first-aid kit, which I did! It sure was quite a nasty road burn, and took a good 3 weeks to heal.

After first aid, declining Suma’s offer to turn back, I continued on with her, and what a ride it was. A few kilometers ahead, we turned off the road at Lakshmi Narayanaswamy temple to go through villages, ride along lakes, and some very beautiful hill country.

GR Photofile: Whether it was the cloudy weather or beauty of these lakes I can't say but, the route is one I would love to repeat.

Here is our breakfast stop for the day: Kamat on Mysore road. Though I enjoyed seeing all the turkeys, and birds, didn’t quite like the idli or vada. You might want to try another place.

GR Photofile: Turkeys, ducks, and more birds make a pretty picture at this Kamat on the highway.

We reached Manchinbele lake, and Sawandurga, every rock climber’s mecca. We decided to skip the ride around the lake, and headed back. Pics here:

GR Photofile: Suma with Sawandurga and Manchinbele lake in the background.

We stopped for chain oiling as Suma’s chain started to get rattier than we would have liked. We loaded up on bananas, water, and carried on to see the big banayan tree: Pics here, and decided to ride back with no more breaks. Some pics from along the route, along with partial elevation.

GR Photofile: The big Banyan tree

GR Photofile: Cruising downhill

GR Photofile: Partial route elevation of the ride.

Missing a few kilometers from the end of the ride. A total 101 Kms door to door, and a few short climbs. A good route for a training ride with long stretches of traffic free road for speed training. Also offers a lot of food and water stops along the way. One can find bananas, and coconut water too. Our return route included a ride through Horahalli to South Bangalore.. You can stock up on some candy, and electrolytes in the form of gels, or powder to meet your hydration/sugar needs if you are going to be riding for more than 50kms. Always ensure you carry your cell-phone, spare tubes, and a air pump with you. There are stretches where you will find yourself in the middle of nowhere and might need to depend on your own supplies to see yourself through a flat or dehydration.

Revisiting Thar 2010

Driving by the much familiar sand dunes I felt right at home. We went back to Rajasthan in April to review, and finalize route for Thar Run 2010 to be held in December 2010.  Familiar Cenotaphs, old Pokaran ruins, Salt flats, and old lake-beds kept us out in the early summer heat despite temperatures soaring over 40 C. Here are some pictures of the recce, and run route location. We share our experience in the desert talking to villagers, who walk over 5km to fetch water every day, women who carry major burden of household work fetching firewood, water, tending to cattle, and children, as seen in these pictures. Pokaran has a rich history of 14 generations of Thakurs, and a living fort. Pokaran Thakurs will host us first days of the race, and extend their unforgettable hospitality while race moves on to dunes, and camps the last two days.

GR Photofile: Fort Pokaran, with a 700 year history.

From the day I finalized my schedule for this recce, there was one member of my old team who for sure was going to accompany me on this trip, our very dependable jeep driver, Bhupal Singh. As runners fell behind on the last two days of the 5-day Thar Run 2009, he tailed them to ensure their safety, handed them water, and kept a safe distance so as to allow them their space. He was a perfect crew member, and having him on my team again was a no-brainer! He drove us around in the 42 degree heat while hot air blew sand in our faces! I was joined by Rebecca Byerly, and Khuram Mir on this trip, to learn the route, in addition to my favorite co-director or the race, Param Vijay Singh Pokaran.

GR Photofile: Bhupal, our trusted jeep driver, and a valuable member of the team. Seen here driking water from an air outlet system in the middle of the desert.

We observed, and learned from our interaction with villagers, the Thakur family, weavers, and potters. Rain water harvesting, as learnt from Thakur Nagendra Singh ‘was’ a prevalent practice. He showed us the water collection points around the fort, which channeled water to a moat, and a lake outside of the fort, which not only served as a private water source, but also provided water, and sustenance for the villagers living in and around the fort. That lake now stands dry, and the practice long forgotten. He says though, that, with guidance and education, this practice can be revived, and will highly benefit the areas where water is scarce. Globeracers intends to work with him in the area to educate and facilitate rain water harvesting in these remote desert areas.

GR Photofile: Men in That village giving us their take on water situation, and how they had to walk 5 miles each morning to fetch a bucket of water, and how wells changed over the years.

As we traveled from village to village marking our route, we were treated to some beautiful and colorful visions, both in the form of village belles, and wild animals, all living side-by-side in perfect harmony. Though we didn’t not get to visit any Bishnoi villages, we had the good fortune of witnessing fruits of their labor: richness of wildlife, and their close quarter existence with villagers. We were warned more than once not to trespass on their habitual routes lest they miss their morning feed schedule. We were glad for the warning for we were visited by beautiful wild peacocks just as we vacated the place as the sun barely broke through the horizon.

GR Photofile: Beautiful Rajasthan girls, all smiles, and happy - Thaat village.

GR Photofile: Blue Bulls caught under tree shade in the middle of Desert

GR Photofile: Air outlets like these can be put to better use by redirecting water that is released by these outlets. Water pipes carrying water to villages.

GR Photofile: Water supply air release system.

GR Photofile: Water supply pipes air release system.

GR Photofile: I didn't drink this water, but I sure did from the wells of Rajasthan!

We treated to stories of salt flat formation, old Pokaran history, and tour of the ruins while we were spoiled for choice of food, and recuperated in the cool confines of the fort after an exhausting in the desert.

GR Photofile: 400 year old temple, part of Thar 2010 race route

GR Photofile: Sunset on the salt fields.

GR Photofile: The recce team - Param, Kavitha, Rebecca, and Khuram.

Crewing for 24-hour run

Have you ever been chased by a bull during a run?  It can be quite hilarious if you weren’t in the woods in the middle of the night with two runners running single file and a cyclist for company, only to find a bull steadily charging at you from behind! This was the scene during the third of many laps of a 24-hour run. The first two laps went on smoothly while Manjula and I paced Santosh, our 24-hour runner. We did see a few cows, and bulls along the route but didn’t seem as though they minded us being there.  Darkness, and three headlamps bobbing, however, seemed to have changed their view.

Santosh had earlier set a record of 156km in 24 hours, and was aiming to break his PR. My endurance running journey had me crossing paths with Santosh 6 months before this event. I trained under him to better my pace, and though my own races kept me from regular training, our association continued in our pursuit to change the running culture in India, and delivering on our social responsibilities. Besides Arun Bharadwaj, whom I immensely respect, Santosh Padmanabhan is an ultra runner who inspires many to run ‘for’ their lives, figuratively speaking.

24Hour Run: Setting up aid-station

24Hour Run: Waiting for the clock. Manjula, Stevel, Santosh, and Kavitha.

24Hour Run: Crew had their own demons to conquer in the morning, each running a distance of atleast 25k during Bangalore Ultra. Seen here are Murthy, and Preeti, part of the crew, and showing of their Ultra bibs.

24Hour Run: Bala, water police 🙂

As the bull chased Santosh, Steve and Ajay scattered, and fled for their lives. They found their way back to the aid-station through different routes. We devised a rescue plan to distract the bull from charging runners on the next lap. A motorcycle headlight luring it away from the runners, worked like a charm. It was all excitement and fun but as the rain poured down on us for the next two hours a soaked was finding it difficult to sustain his pace.

24Hour Run: Bull chase victims 🙂

24Hour Run: Crewing is just as daunting!

As the day broke, it became apparent that his initial pace, bull chase, and rain wore him out considerably.  Starting at 5am, he had more runners on the route for company as this was the day of Bangalore Ultra Run, and runners were being let out in waves based on their distance. I had my own 25km to finish, and by the time we returned to the aid-station, Santosh looked beat and showing signs of fever. Our physio, and his med support Preeti, took a call to suspend his run. After 20 hours, and, Santosh, being the humble man that he is, felt the need to apologize to his support crew for a failed attempt at breaking his PR. We, on the other hand, felt the need to apologize in return for not monitoring his initial pace. As pacers, we felt we hadn’t done our job right. Being the strong runner he is, we knew he would bounce right back to conquer his demons another day and sure did with a 48-hour attempt!

Thar Recce 2009

I left for Rajasthan, my first trip to that state, expecting to be blown away by its beauty and history. What I experienced, however, was not even close to my expectations; I was blown away.

The first day, as I sat in the courtyard of a small haveli in the town of Bikhamkor, I was treated to a star splattered sky. Beautiful milky stars lay about in the sky twinkling away, bringing to light the gorgeousness of the universe we live in, yet barely notice.

We woke up early next morning to capture sunrise over the dunes, a sunrise so inexplicably beautiful that my heart skipped a beat, maybe two. I was awestruck.  We hung around the area capturing more of the elusive beauty – peacocks strutting about, pigeons gathering in groups, and historic houses standing majestically against the desert backdrop. Finally, we set out to Jaisalmer picking up a colleague on the way at Jodhpur. Jaisalmer was our first stop on the recce.

GR Photofile: Thar Desert Wildlife. Desert has abundance of spotted deer, blue bulls, peacocks.

GR Photofile: Peacocks are fiercly protected by Bhishnoi community, and it shows in their numbers.

We set out the next morning to visit hotels that would serve as residences for runners, during that leg of the run. Needless to say, they are truly royal, and spectacular in their architecture. We were treated with great hospitality, including scrumptious food, before we set out to see Jaisalmer Fort where descendants of earlier royal families, and their relatives own apartments within the fort complex. Inside the fort was a maze of shops, apartments, as well as crumbling sections of the fort-wall. View of the city from the vantage point at one end of the fort is impressive, and one can almost see Pakistan border on the horizon, or so it seemed.

GR Photofile: Jaisalmer Fort vantage point

GR Photofile: WIthin the Jaisalmer Fort walls

My only grouse are the touts, and guides who literally mob you, and come too close for comfort. If you can block that out, you will take away a marvelous experience of seeing intricate lattice and filigree, imposing structures, and complex architecture.

GR Photofile: Beautiful Filigree work. Part of Jaisalmer Fort's intricate building structure

Our next stop: Pokhran, where it all came together. The Thakurs of Pokhran live in their heritage home, with a rich 700-year old history. Kunwara of Pokhran is the 14^th generation owner of this fort, which houses 19 intricately decorated rooms, unique in style, and presentation, as well as the Thakur’s family apartments.  We arrived at Pokhran around lunchtime, and waited for Param Vijay Singh, Kunwara of Pokhran. My interaction with him over the previous few months have been lengthy, and extensive. I was looking forward to meeting him in person finally.  Again, I was in for a surprise when a handsome young lad walked in looking gloriously royal. No mistaking his regal lineage. We were treated to lunch before heading out to the dunes, with Param in toe, in his proper business attire and shoes. What a fun afternoon it was, running up the dunes, while Param pointed out beautiful route possibilities, and ran up the dunes with us in his, yes, dress shoes!

GR Photofile: Param on the dunes in his proper dress shoes 🙂 It sure was a hot day!

GR Photofile: Sliding down the dunes can be as much fun as running up! Thar Recce 2009

We spent the evening discussing route options and terrains available around Pokhran. The beauty of the place combined with logistics consideration had us choosing to start the race in Pokhran, and completely forgo the Jaisalmer leg of the race. And that’s how Pokhran came to be the center point of Globeracers’ Thar Run. A beautiful quaint town on the highway from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, with its unassuming Thakur family, doing their best for people who respected, and looked up to them for ages, it offers sand dunes, historic ruins, and salt flats to mix it up, thus treating runners to a variety of terrain and not limiting the entire duration of the race to dunes.

GR Photofile: Temple architecture.

GR Photofile: Camp Thar - Fourth day's stay location during Thar Race 2009

GR Photofile: Lalniwas, Phalodi, third day's stay location during Thar Race 2009

GR Photofile: Life in the Thar desert can be extremely harsh, and these ladies have been walking for over 4km by the time I caught up with them. They are extremely shy, and I had to coax them into posing for me. They agreed only after pulling their veils lower 🙂

Since we intend to change the race route every year, it might be several years before we visit these quaint little towns again, but we are positive they will be reintroduced at some point. Till then, our quest for unexplored, and under-served small towns with breathtaking beauty will be an important factor for the Globeracers’ Thar Run.

48-hour, Strides of hope

As runners came around the bend of the final lap, there were smiles, hugs, congratulatory slaps, and high fives. There was jubilation, and celebration. No one was talking about sleep deprivation or sore muscles. With a cumulative 3000-km distance, 350 runners, and 48 long hours later, Strides of Hope 48 hour run came to an end on Feb 21, 2010, 4pm, IST

A personal goal to run 48 hours to raise funds for ASHA, an organization he supports and works for, prodded Santosh Padmanabhan to seek volunteers to crew, and support him on his run. I had crewed for him once before on a 24-hour run, and I was not going to miss this chance. Information on his fundraising, and volunteer efforts can be found at http://runnershigh.in/nonprofit.php. He dreams for the kids he trains, and helps them realize their potential.

Santosh trained by running 20 hours at Bangalore Ultra, and another 12-hour and 6-hour runs back to back, setting a realistic expectation of what he can achieve. As volunteers turned into organizers of the 48-hour run, ideas floated around, and what was formalized came to be Strides of Hope 48-hour run. With free entry, and a fully supported run, it encouraged participation of large number of runners. The idea: To log as many miles, and to have as many runners on a route, which was chosen carefully to highlight run locations available to general public within Bangalore city limits, while taking in to consideration feasibility of traffic management. I must say that we not only succeeded, rather exceeded our expectations.

As the first 24 hours came to end, some of us needed downtime to replenish food stock, broadcast the run on the radio, and rotate support crew. As the run moved from location to location, Saturday morning saw a surge in runner numbers, pacing already exhausted runners well in to 12-hours of running. Some chose to walk all of those 48 hours, and some walked for about 12. However, there was always someone on the route.

Globeracers Photofile: Photos by Kavitha Kanaparthi.

Globeracers Photofile: Photos by Kavitha Kanaparthi

Globeracers Photofile: Photos by Kavitha Kanaparthi.

Globeracers Photofile: Photos by Kavitha Kanaparthi.

Globeracers Photofile: Photos by Kavitha Kanaparthi.

A big collective shout out to all those who participated in the run, and all those who came to cheer. Sunand and Murtazza breezed through a 48 hour walk, Sindhu and Jagadish walked 12 hours, Bhaskar Sharma ran 13.5 hours, and many more met and surpassed their time, and goal of total miles logged, all the while cheering Santosh who aimed to run all of 48 hours but was forced to retire after 30 hours into the run, due to foot injuries.

The organizers also deserve a big round of applause for doing double-duty as organizers and crew. They registered participants, braved three days of sleep deprivation while they ran and cycled the course to ensure safety, manned water stations day and night, while making sure that logistics such as movement from location to location, medical help, and food requirements were all met, as well as ensuring that an uninterrupted 48-hour run was logged, and recorded. 

Strides of Hope, a 48-hr mega-marathon is here to stay continuing with the current open and free format, with no sponsors, and all donations benefiting childrens’ education. When it returns in 2011, Strides of Hope aims to bring out more Bangaloreans, and everyone across the country to take a step towards hope, to trail blaze their way to an active lifestyle as well as have an impact on the lives of children they indirectly shape.