Time passed quickly and here I was standing at the starting point of Malnad 80k. I had stocked up a hydration backpack with 2 liters of water, a few energy bars, Unived Elite gels, Unived salt capsules, dry fruits, and some dates. I had a good breakfast consisting of bread & butter, boiled eggs, and upma an hour before the race started. Though I had tried to clear my bowel earlier in the hotel, the pre-race breakfast had its effect and I had to attend the nature’s big call just before the flag-off. I was lucky to just make it in time as there was a long queue piling up outside the portable loos.
The josh at the starting point was quite high as we met many runners known from the previous events and exchanged greetings/wishes for a good Malnad effort. The flagging-off of 110K guys set the tone for us and got the adrenaline rush before our start. The 80K race was flagged off sharp at 06:45 hrs. The first 4 km was a downhill tar road. All the runners slowly were entering the world of trails with a steep uphill and rough terrain right at the entry. Without any worries, I spoke to myself, “this is what I came here for!!”
6 Comments
Pranesh · November 20, 2019 at 4:40 am
Wow Chayan…..very inspiring and detailed writeup….Thanks.
Visualing myself one day in your shoes…That one day is real far away.
Noopur · November 20, 2019 at 3:10 pm
Keep going strong. Stay fit. You are inspiration to all budding runners.
Loads of 😍 runner🏃.
Indu Kaushik · November 20, 2019 at 3:27 pm
Congratulations. That’s really a great achievement. You are an inspiration to young generation. Slow and steady wins the race. God bless you.
A K Kaushik · November 20, 2019 at 3:36 pm
Heartiest congratulations. This is a wonderful accomplishment. Keep it up and take great care of yourself. God bless you.
Indu Kaushik · November 20, 2019 at 3:42 pm
Congrats. A great achievement by you. You are an inspiration to young generation. Maintain your fitness and take care of your health. God bless you.
Jaisinh · November 21, 2019 at 1:48 pm
Congratulations on your achievement Chayan!
You must be proud of yourself given the challenging course at Malnad!
You are truly an inspiration!