Intentionality 50k Saalu marada timmakka

Life is short. 2026 has been particularly difficult, with the loss of two uncles in the last couple of months—one a patriarchal centenarian, and another whose life was tragically taken in a road accident. Death poses these deep questions, forcing us to understand the fragility of life and try to make sense of it all. It makes you wonder: what is the legacy you want to leave behind? What are your footsteps in the sands of time?

Amidst all of this, an opportunity arose for me to run a 50 km ultra this week. It was paying homage to someone who selflessly, almost mindlessly, contributed to the betterment of her community and the locality where she grew up. Her name is Padmashree Saalumarada Thimmakka.

It is truly interesting; she did not endeavor to do anything magnanimous or grand to start with. All she did was take things one step at a time. In her case, it was one tree at a time. She planted and tended to 385 Banyan trees along 5km of highway, unable to see how barren the land had become following the urbanization happening in her town. With no major help from any corporation or local body, she started her own way of giving back, which was essentially planting banyan trees.

This tree lined stretch was the inspiration for “The Intentionality Ultra 50K”, and pays homage to Saalumarada Thimmakka. It is a run conceptualized by a bunch of runners who operate out of the Glampies Resort, about 80 km from Bangalore in the district of Tumakuru. I was invited for the inaugural run last year. Due to family commitments, I was unable to participate. However, I visited the resort with my family and extended family, and we spent time walking and taking a short jog around the area. It was spectacular.

I always had it in mind to experience the region more fully. Things finally fell into place, and I got a little "free pass" from my family. Being able to spare some time this weekend, almost at the last minute, JP, one of the organizers, was able to accommodate me.

He provided me not just with a bib, but also tent accommodation to stay overnight. A beautiful plan fell in place. I had been building up reasonably good mileage and seemed to be peaking after a solid training block. After many months, I also found a mechanic for my Bullet Thunderbird, which fixed a long-standing issue with the carburetor. I was really looking forward to a nice long ride and a nice long run. The tent accommodation at the Glampies campsite was a bonus.

I left on Saturday evening. The bike responded beautifully. As I made my way off the highway and onto the country roads, I could already start feeling the positive vibes from the upcoming run.

Pre-Race

I reached the resort and settled into my tent. Dinner was arranged for all the participants, and I loaded up on some good carbs. As the runners gathered for dinner, many stories went around the table. It is amazing how for a sport that is so personal, people tend to carry around a significant amount of emotional baggage and ego - some are already leaving deep footsteps in the sand!!

Every runner is amazing, but you are only as good as what you did that morning, the past is irrelevant.

Still, we tend to value our bragging rights, and there was plenty of that going around.

I settled down after dinner in my tent, which was quite well-made. Despite being basic, it was comfortable and felt like a luxurious little escape. The only issue was its proximity to the start area; there was some disturbance as I tried to sleep, but nothing major.

The alarm was set for 4:00 AM for a 5:00 AM start. But lo and behold, most of us woke up to "mic testing 1, 2, 3" at 3:30 AM. After using the restrooms, we started getting ready. The announcements confirmed the 50 km race would start at 5:00 AM sharp. Fresh fruits and nutrition were available. I chose to keep it simple, holding onto gels and salt tablets while looking for solid food at the water stops.

The plan was to maintain a steady pace of 5 minutes and 20 seconds per kilometer.

This would get me to the marathon distance in about 3 hours and 45 minutes, allowing me to finish the full 50 km in approximately 4.5hours. I knew the course was rolling, but there wasn't too much elevation to worry about; most slopes seemed runnable. The entire 50 km was on countryside tar roads—no trail sections—which gave me confidence in keeping a steady pace.

The course:

The course was beautifully planned, shaped like a "Y." - 10k each on the 2 arms and 5k on the stem. We started through the first one to the center of the "Y," went out to the second leg and back, and then finished with the third arm and back to start. There were very few turns; most were just long, straight sections on countryside roads. While traffic wasn't completely blocked, it was minimal on village roads in the early morning. The elevation gains were steady, so everything was set.

The start:

The race started at 5:00 AM on the dot with a motley bunch of about 50 of us. I moved to the front of the pack after the first kilometer, a few paces ahead of the second runner, Pankaj. I thought he might catch up so we could converse, especially since we were running with headlamps.

However, I decided to stick to my own pace. Unlike other runs where it takes me 4 km to warm up, my legs felt well-rested because of a low-mileage week due to work travel.

In the twilight, running to the small lit circle of the LED torch, with the lead vehicle - a classic 350cc Bullet in front, hearing the chirping birds over the thud of the bike - I chanted some loud prayers. Vivek was tasked with being the lead vehicle and stayed with me for the rest of the 50 km, guiding me through turns and ensuring local dogs didn't get over-excited. He stayed about 100 meters ahead,

keeping me on track while ensuring the exhaust fumes didn't affect my breathing and that he didn't provide an unfair wind-breaking advantage. It was great to have him there.

The middle:

The race went off beautifully. Feeling strong, I hit the 10K mark in exactly 50 minutes and 43 seconds.

The water stops every 2 km were well-stocked with electrolytes, water, and bananas. I had my first gel at 12K and then took a salt tablet every 5K. I was running alone, having brief chats with Vivek. It was beautiful to see the sun come up. I've realized recently that viewing expansive, vast landscapes really improves your mood and provides mental benefits.

The visuals were simply amazing, running in the countryside alongside fields and tree-lined roads, thanks to Thimmakka. By 20K, I was at 1 hour and 41 minutes, slightly faster than plan. I felt strong and enjoyed the cool morning freshness, but I knew I would have to slow down eventually. By this time, I had finished one leg of the "Y."

At about 16 km U-turn, I did a bit of "sensing the competition." I was about 500 meters ahead of Pankaj, who looked strong on the downhills. I knew it was a long race and I had to maintain my pace for the next 20 km to have a chance at the podium.

The next stretch (the other arm of the “Y”) after 20 km was exclusively for 50K runners. These roads were even narrower—beautiful countryside lanes with no traffic. The view of Shivagange Hill provided the motivation to keep going. It was spectacular to see the clouds forming a crown on top of the hill in the early hours. As I got closer, the "crown" disappeared, leaving the rocky, exposed mountain.

Running through the villages, I exchanged hi-hellos with curious kids and onlookers. Some villagers wanted to know what we were doing, so I spoke with them briefly in Kannada. I used every opportunity to pour water on my head to stay cool. The U-turn point was about 9 km away, and it was great to see fully stocked water stops even on these isolated stretches. The volunteers from a dental college did a great job handing out electrolytes as runners passed.

At the U-turn, I noticed I was about half a kilometer ahead of the next runner. By this time, the second-place position had changed; a Ashwath (from FreeRunners) had taken over. Pankaj was starting to slow down, struggling with stomach bloating. The section also had some long, steady climbs. I was glad to complete them, hoping that after the 30K mark, there would be more downhills than uphills to the finish. I passed the timing mat at the U-turn in 2 hours and 38 minutes—exactly where I wanted to be. 

There was a special breakfast point for 50K runners at 25K and 35K. I stopped briefly to pick up some "shira" (a sweet made of semolina / rava) in a cup, as I didn't want to stop for long. I even declined a drone videography offer at one stop, being blunt that I didn't want to waste time. 

The Best:

The last 20 km is where the real race begins. In this stretch, I passed Venki, Gopi, Nandini, and Shakeela - all FreeRunners, who all looked strong. As I entered the final 10K, the mental games began. I broke the distance down into smaller milestones. My right thigh started to cramp (a wee bit) on the uphills, so I had to be careful not to let it escalate. I still managed a good pace, averaging 5:25 for the 30-35km split.

My average pace for the 5km splits for the later stages were 5:41, 6:31, and 6:19 per 5km. Despite stops for water and walking the steeper slopes, my running sections were strong.

I constantly looked back to ensure no one would surprise me to the finish. I felt confident of taking first place when I turned into the final stretch. At about 47 km, I treated myself to an ice-cold sponge for my head, passed by a mobile support truck! That felt out of this world. It was these small gestures that made this event so runner-friendly. I finished in 4 hours and 39 minutes, securing first place.

As I entered the red carpet for the last 200 meters at Glampies Resort, the Nadaswaram was playing, reminding me of the movie Kantara. I did a bit of a show with some screaming and a "Daiva Kunitha" dance at the end!

The Legacy

It was a well-organized event. As other runners trickled in, everyone had positive things to say. Everyone had their own mini-story of support, whether it was from the bike volunteers, the water stops, or the treats like laddoos. Small touches like personalized medals with your name and an option to engrave your time made it special. I hung around the finish area, enjoying two rounds of breakfast and one of lunch, before heading back on my Bullet.

It was a very memorable weekend. Thanks to Saalumarada Thimmakka for showing us how small steps can leave behind a long-lasting legacy and for the entire crew of Intentionality to celebrate this!!

NitteOn 10k 2026 Race report

 “Strike when it is hot, race when you are fast” - Old jungle saying.

I am coming off, of a good training block or two, the recent “forced” time off allowed for high weekly mileage, the peanut-abstinence vrath kept the unwanted couple of kgs off - perfect recipe for some fast paced intervals. But the proof of the pudding is in the racing. My son, N2, was also looking to participate in a timed 5k. I reached out to Rajesh from Racetime India, for his recommendation. NitteOn was a race being organized by Nitte College for Mother’s day from Orion Mall on Sunday, 24th May. The route looked promising, and I eagerly signed up. My entire family was planning to run - me, the 10k, N2 - 5k, N1 and S 3k. However, two deaths in the family rocked the plans and only I ended up registering.

Pre-Race

I like the low overheads of local / small races - the world needs more of “less”. Bib collection was simply bib collection, no mega Expo, goodie bag and all the jazz.

Race day

At 6AM, there was ample parking at the World Trade Center. The lakeside courtyard was abuzz with runners. (Digression: I have been adding make “lake” words to my lexicon off late, lakehouse, lakebase, thanks to my recent job change). I immediately noticed elites from SAI, including Nanjundappa - no podium pressure on this one. It was good catching up with a few runners from Free Runners. Warm up was mostly jog to the restroom and back, with the Zumba session in the background. The 10k race was flagged off at 6:20, 10 mins late, not bad, but should be improved.

The course

Starting at the “lakebase”, the first km was around the “lakehouses” inside the Orion mall complex. Once outside the mall, the road was demarcated by cones to give the runners some scant protection from the traffic. We quickly got off Dr. Rajkumar road, towards Malleshwaram. There was an U-turn followed by an uphill here, which killed the momentum. Then came the railway bridge also another low gradient hill. But on a cool Sunday morning it was still great conditions to run. I had done a reccee on my bike the previous day and waited for the Gulmohar tree lined, concrete 8th Main road - a 2k straight undulating stretch. At the end of this road was the U-turn and the return to lakebase.

My race

My plan was to run as close to 4min/km pace as possible. I started with the right earnest. Veteran runner, Ramesh, gunning for the 50+ age category podium, ran alongside. The U-turn and uphills were challenging to keep up the pace. Post 2k, I started noticing more of the 4:15ish on the pace. I lost Ramesh at the start of 8th main - he missed the timing mat and had to run back to cross it. I reeled in a Nitte student, half my age on this stretch, kept decent pace, a bit slower than my target. Again, left turn, left turn, U-turn, uphill killed the pace, the turn off point came at 5.2kms, 22:06 on the clock.

By the time I got back to the railway over-bridge on the return leg, the effort felt like 80-90%, but the pace was not happening. I was consistently seeing 4:15+ pace on my Garmin. I passed a couple of kids running their 5k and trying to keep up on the downhills, was refreshing to cheer them. Then the bummer - come Dr. Rajkumar road a volunteer beckoned the 10k runners to go left (instead of right, which was the actual course), downhill, U-turn and back uphill. This added an extra 300m, cut the momentum and led to almost everyone getting a min extra on their finish times.

Not knowing this error, I was still hoping that there would be a short cut within the mall to compensate, but it was not to be. I tried to keep a steady pace, tried catching up with a runner ahead of me in the last km, sprinted up to finish in 43:31

The eventual distance was 10.4kms, average pace of 4:15 per km (equivalent of a 42:30 for a 10k) - not happy.

My km splits were - 4:15, 4:05, 4:18, 4:17, 4:05, 4:17, 4:10, 4:14, 4:26, 4:20

I finished 4th in my Age Category, coming up behind Nangundappa in 3rd place (ha ha, who finished in 36 mins!).

At the finish line, I met a bunch of runners over 50yrs who had all finished under 45mins and exchanging notes - inspiring indeed.

Also met Shamik and Farheen briefly who had aced their 5k in under 20mins.

I skipped the boxed breakfast of Banana, sandwich and samosa (yeah, you saw that right)!

The medal was lame - no mention of the the distance, date, year, etc., could have been better.

Overall, loved the vibe, the course, and lakeside event. (If you didn’t already get it - I just completed week 1 at the co. that makes Lakehouse and Lakebase products!! and hence the reference!)

Freshworks Chennai Marathon - 2026 goal achieved

 I typically set running goals at the start of year, more as a motivation for the season. This year, it was slightly loaded target, achieving this was to pave the way for the coming years, serve as a leading indicator of post-surgery recovery. I trained religiously for 16 weeks for the Wipro Bangalore marathon (WBM), with a goal of 3:30 for the marathon. I fell short there (full story here). I usually pick a back up marathon - this year, it was Chennai. With, 8-10 weeks between these races, there is time for recovery and fine tuning. However, I recovered very quickly from WBM and made the rookie mistake - signed up for KTM in 3 weeks and Mysore marathon in another 3 weeks from there - and came short in both of these as well.

But, hey, my hypothesis was, improve your success rate by getting to the start line more often. There were some learnings and re-calibrations:
1. I had to work on my pre-race nutrition, salt intake, and focus on the last 5-6km pacing

2. Cramping was raising it's ugly head (once again) and D suggested a few longer training runs at race pace

I ran a 20k in Chennai during the holiday break, in under M pace, mid-Oct, 4 weeks after WBM. I love running in Chennai in general - I usually go without a tee shirt, pick the route along long straight flat roads of Anna salai till the port, then along Marina beach and back via Radhakrishna salai.

Postal Mysore in a week from there, although I suffered during the hill climb in the second half, I had a well paced first half, but the Chamundi hill climb coming post 30kms and a potential cramp lurking in the hills, led me to reduce pace and run-walk.

Most of December was about easy runs, my most important long run was to be a 36k at race pace. I planned to do this at GKVK campus, started at 6AM-ish, felt miserable for the first 10k. I dismissed the thought of aborting the run altogether, and focus more on the feel. I found second wind post 14kms, surprised myself running the last 10k under M pace, finishing just 5sec/km over my target for the distance. I was super pleased with this effort.

The long runs on IIM Lucknow campus during the vacation break kept me honest.

I travelled to Chennai in the non-AC Chair Car - unruly kids, indifferent parents, junk food, overweight freeloaders, bad mobile etiquette - and my frustration with all this, will make a separate post altogether.

I picked up the bib (a palindrome bib number 42624) at the Expo at Royapettai - quick in and out, stranger in a unfamiliar crowd of runners, and even unfamiliar shops with running gear, health foods, and what have you. I exited quickly.

Back at home, I had an early dinner, laid out the stuff required for the next morning and hit the sack by 8PM, to get some hours before the 2:30AM alarm!

Race day, 4th Jan 2026

The full marathon start point was Napier Bridge on Marina beach. Getting there and parking at the scooter at the University parking was hassle free. I had planned to run bare-chested (first one in a marathon for me), so I had to check in my change tee shirt in the baggage counter. I reached Napier bridge, with about 25-30mins to the start. As is a ritual, I pin my bib at the start point, I did this and looked in my bag for the salt tablets and gels. The plan was to have a gel every 8k (40mins or so), and about 8 salt tablets, specifically to compensate for the high humidity of Chennai. Panic - the ziplock is missing - no salt tablets. I looked around and asked some runners from Bangalore if they had some to spare - Nopes!

I then, made way to the baggage counter. The organisers had to ensure that the bags would be transported to the finish line (the start and finish points are a good 25kms away). In order to ease the logistics, the bags were tagged and placed into a truck directly. What that meant was, the bags had to taken one at a time. The line was long and the time was short. With 5mins to go, I managed to hand over my bag. The port-a-loo line was longer and I quickly dismissed the idea.

At the start line, I skirted through with Shashi, Manju and other free runners to front of the pack. The logistics confusion had already started me sweating, count down from 10 to 1, GO!

The cool breeze from the beach, the open Marina beach road, I hit 4:30/km pace right from the first km. After chatting briefly with Manju, I let him go ahead, to conserve my own pace. Shashi and I did cat-n-mouse for the next 25km or so. The Chennai marathon has a hugely popular 20miler category, which many Mumbai marathoners use as a tune up before the Mumbai marathon.

I love this course - it is a straight line drawn by the coast, North to South, with 2 U-turns, and less than 10 turns in all. The first U-turn was at 10k and then the only "uphill" - a flyover. The rest is all dosa-pan flat.

I was hitting 4:40 to 4:50/km for most of the first half. By 2hours, I had completed 25k. There was no crowd to worry about, the half marathoners were yet to start, when I passed their starting point. The route map had mentioned that there were gels available at some of the water stops - but this promise was not kept. In order to compensate for the lack of salt tabs, I consumed oranges dipped in salt in a few water stops.

After 26k, the course got even more desolate (or exclusive), we had passed the Maritime University (the finish venue), and now, only the few full marathoners were running towards the 35k U-turn point. One of the elite female runners and her pacer were company for a while. At this point, Pounam, a engineer from the North East, active insta and blogger caught up. He was running the entire distance with an Insta360 and a invisible selfie stick, catching up with runners and profiling them for his insta feed. And that is how, I got a cool video, running at 5min/km pace, shirtless on empty OMR road.

The U-turn point was at 34k, done in 2hr:45m, about 5mins ahead of 3:30finish pace. I was still doing between 5 and 5:30pace for the next 2-3kms. The prospect of a sub-3:30 finish was now looking real. There were some cramps coming up in the right calf and quads, but managed to keep a steady running rhythm.

All along, the mile markers were showing about 300m less and this would work to my advantage too! As I approached the final turn into Maritime University, I passed Rajesh Vetcha, who was completing his half marathon. It was a wonderful feeling to see the clock at 3:28:51, 23rd in the open Men category.

The last time this happened was way back in Dec 2017, when I had finished The Wipro Chennai marathon in 3:22 and then the Ultra bug, Covid, Surgery, Recovery... To get back to Chennai to do this after 9 years was truly special!

  

Udupi Heritage Marathon 2026

What's in a run, one may argue, it's just putting one foot in front of the other. But if this mundane activity can connect you to your roots, touch your spiritual side and maybe inspire some - it is suddenly elevated.

The First edition of The Udupi Heritage marathon gave me this and more.

But I would have missed this altogether, if it were not a call from the race director, the Godfather of ultra running, Adiga about 15 days before the race. I was then in my final stages of tapering for the Chennai marathon. The Udupi marathon was exactly 1 week after the Chennai one. But Don Corleone style "he made an offer I could not refuse" - I will get you to run in Udupi's car street, in front of Krishna Mutt. I found my calling, I let Shreya know of this crazy idea of running back-to-back marathons and put in my registration.

Chennai marathon on the first Sunday of 2026 went as per plan. There was usual post run soreness and the shake out 5km runs during the week felt difficult.

My last few outstation marathons - Mysore, Srirangapatana (Mandya), Chennai - were all hosted by loving family - cousins, in laws, cousins-in-laws (basically, anyone who even remotely agrees).

Udupi is my native, I shouldn't have any trouble here for acco. I reached out to my cousin A, and she (gladly!) agreed.

Help will always be given at Hogwarts (or Udupi) to those who ask for it. - Albus Dumbledore

Travel was next - Mysore by car, Srirangapatana by bike, Chennai by train, Udupi by bus? 9hr day bus on Saturday, rest, run, repeat - 9hr day bus on Sunday - only a mad man's idea of weekend fun. But, hey, that's 18hrs with a book, you guessed right - The Chamber of secrets!

The bus ride was much better than the train ride last weekend. The push-back seats worked so well, that the front seat was pushed up right up my nose. I had packed my chapatis and paneer for my carb loading, supplemented with bananas and many liters of water.

I arrived at Udupi by 4 and headed straight to the Bib collection at Ajjarkad stadium. The familiar expert team of NEB sports were on the job. Nagaraj Adiga was doing the checks with the team. I was the ambassador for the event, had my race bib and Enerjiva gels waiting for me. Back at my cousin's place, Dhanur masa special huggi and Aloo parantas were had with plenty of chit chat. I did a quick dress rehearsal, the alarm was set for 2:45AM

Race day

Costume - I had decided to run the Heritage marathon in our Heritage attire - kacche and shalya. The kacche had to be a cotton washti. For the length, I followed the famous bikini principle - long enough to cover the essentials, but short enough to keep things (the run) interesting. A cotton washti was borrowed from my in-laws and the previous evening was spent in perfecting the draping.

At 3AM on race day, the knot was tied - done once, done right!

As for the shalya, the idea was to go diagonally around the shoulder and pin it up to the bib in the front. This one needed a lot of adjustment - I had to even use a safety pin, about 5-6kms into the run to secure it better. It flopped from side to side, requiring a lot of adjusting. It was only after it was completely wet, did it stay without shuffling.

Nutrition - I tried to stick with the Chennai model. Pre-race Oats (I realized that I had cooked to much, but finished it nonetheless), 4 Gels and 6 salt tabs during the race. I rolled up two gels in my kacche (in the side where the priests roll up the cash offerings). I dropped 2 gels by a tree to be picked up for the second lap.

The run itself wasn't the easiest. Even as we got out of the Ajjarkad stadium at 4am, the legs felt heavy. We were less than a hundred of us, a few elite looking runners too off in the lead. I had a couple of older amateur runners also go past me.

From the Swagata dwara to Diana circle is a mild uphill, going past misson hospital, my birthplace. Running in Kalshanka, to car street / Ratha beedi and close to Krishna Mutt. I took a 30m detour to pray to Udupi Krishna via Kanakana kindi. PM Modi has recently inaugurated a golden window and with it, a smart TV which shows the live video of Garbhagudi.

I sure did lose sometime here, but praying never slowed anyone down - in marathon or in life. The first 5k came in 24m:52s, not too bad

From 5km on, it was an short uphill- flat- long uphill for 4kms till we turned off at Manipal. As I trudged along this, I thought if I could even jog this up on the 2nd lap, I would consider this run as a success.

Except for one stray dog scare and the non-lit road in front of the DC office, the rest of this lap was good. I had my gels at 9 and 18k, a long pee break at 15k, salt tabs every 30mins or so. The Enerjiva gels don't dissolve in water easily and are more gooey. I caught up with Raghav, one of the faster amateur runners as I approached the stadium.

Back at the stadium for the U-turn, still in my fancy dress, I drew some smiles and cheer from the paltry crowd. I had 21.2k in 1:45 - bang on target (but no time in the bank).

By now, my shalya had settled down and stayed put. At the 2k timing mat, I picked up my 2 gels from their hiding place, tucked them into my kacche and set my target on Amit who was ahead. Amit is a coach from Mumbai, ex-services, he was a strong 12h runner. But he has put on some weight and I caught up with him in Kalshanka. I had to do my mandatory prayer at Krishna Mutt, but passed him before the Manipal hills.

The uphill was the deal maker (or breaker), but I put my head down, mentally imagined I was running Nandi uphill, and kept going. I reached the top without dipping into my reserves or walk. I had carried 3 small pieces of ginger, had one as a precaution for cramps.

I was slowing down to about 5:30/km but was generally in good spirits.

By now, I was passing a few 2hr+ half marathoners, greeting them and making small talk. When I turned into the downhill section after 36k, I was still able to run in good form. I clocked 4:15 for that km. As I began to approach Krishna Mutt, I began to run to the beat of "Hare Krishna", that I had begun to chant. Coming into Kalshanka, deeply emotional, I prayed that he allows me "peace" with the one thing that I resent in my life. I bowed down in reverence at Kanakana one last time, before I turned towards Kinnimulki.

The gels, salt tablets and ginger seemed to do their job - there were no cramps. I ran steady running past a few HM and 10kers. Entering the stadium, I looked up at the clock, reading 3:39, I had a few seconds to keep the timing in the 3:30s. I stopped the clock at 3:39:58 - 6th overall, 1st in my Age Group

Since the kacche was still hanging around, I spent sometime taking some pics with the Udupi DC and others from the NEB team.

In the pic: Nagaraj Adiga, race director and Swaroopa, DC of Udupi.

Breakfast of Idlies, goli baje, shira was per NEB's high standards. It took all of 15mins to get back home. After a quick shower and more breakfast, I boarded the Rajahamsa to get be back to Bangalore. 

9hr bus ride - 6hr sleep - 4hr run - 10hr bus ride

That's how I got completed the physical and spiritual First Heritage Udupi Marathon!

Jumaring Muthurayana Betta

You are hanging 30 feet from the ground by an anchor rope, tethered via figure-eight knots to a large granite rock. It's a overcast day, but from your perch, the view is amazing, green tree cover sprinkled with small towns, matching the blue skies and clouds. The horizon is wavered by the many hills of Ramanagara and Harohalli.

Time stops momentarily, the voices of chatter from family and friends below, is the only other connection to the world.

Sitting on the harness, bending the left leg, the right hand pushes up the golden jumar, locked. Then the left hand moves to the rope, and with help from the right on the blue jumar, the left leg stands on the daisy loop. Up one step. Now repeat till you are... between the rock and a hard place!

On a chill Sunday morning, we chose to drive about 100kms to "the base", just off Kanakpura road. Earlier, at 8am, at a highway restaurant, our guide Shyam, started off his introduction with, "I have known Manoj since 20 yrs...". Raju (also a veteran runner), his family and a newbie mountaineer, Mukund were co-guides.

The plan was to climb the hill, of course, but also to get introduced to the world of free soloing. We soaked up every word, every story that Shyam was saying.

As we passed the rocky outcorps, our first stop was to get familiar with the rock surface. The kids tried to go a couple of steps up a small one. Some rules of thumb - plant your feet flat, do not use the knee or elbow, etc.

We kept a slow pace, also giving a chance for another family, Raghu's to join us. Group-fie at high noon. No, it wasn't noon yet, but that's the name of our rock backdrop.

In another 30mins, we reached the peak, complete with a Rama temple, shed for festivities and bunch of college kids cooking their "2-min Maagi" on a campfire!!

Raghu and 2 more kids joined us here. Hanuman chalisa was recited, fruits, nuts, chikkis were had.

Next stop, was the unassuming Rush hour. Again, no, not the traffic kind that Bangalore is infamous for. This one is the 30-foot rock balanced precariously, in a small clearing.

We spent the next 3 hours there, well past "high noon".

Shyam and team first scaled the rock from behind, secured the anchor and the safety ropes, using figure eight knots, carabiners and hooks. It took them nearly 30mins to set it up.

Although they understood nothing of the instructions, the kids were the most enthu to try it - youngest first!

And so it happened, one by one, they wore the harness, jumarred up and slid down. Up and down, while the rest of us settled down, making PBJ sandwiches for whoever had jumarred. And then they repeated another time.

What goes up, must come down - we did, before dusk, chatting about with nary care for the world. We all took back our rock-rubbed, thorn-scratched skins, (bum hole pyjamas) as trophies from a day well spent at Muthurayana betta.

Lots of Love at Kaveri Trail Marathon 2025

Shout out to my "sponsors":

• Event Sponsor: NEB Sports (for almost sponsoring the run).

• Travel Sponsor: My brother-in-law (BIL), for lending me his bike.

• Accommodation Sponsor: BIL’s father-in-law for the stay at Mandya.

• Nutrition Sponsor: BIL’s mother-in-law for the hearty pre-race and post-race meals.

With the sponsors taken care of, let me get down to business.

Given my pace drops after the 30k mark in my last couple of runs, I wanted to put in a few 35k+ runs at race pace to bolster my training. The original plan for Nov 16th was to throw a party for friends. But when the week started with an email from NEB regarding bib collection for the Kaveri Trail Marathon (KTM), the party was postponed, home priorities were juggled, and suddenly I had an opportunity to do my long run at KTM! My last KTM was in 2007 and 2008, I had to rewrite some memories.

The Course KTM is beautiful but brutal. It starts near the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, running along the Kaveri canal all the way to Balamuri Falls in Mysore. It’s a hard trail flanked by paddy and sugarcane fields, but offers almost no shade. Once the sun rises, the heat reflects off the canal water, turning the course into an oven. However, it’s flat—an out-and-back 10.5k loop done twice—so I decided to take my chances with the heat and this race.

In 2007, Madhu Avasarala, the Ultra marathoner had this to say about the wonderful trail.

"On Saturday October 13 2006 I did a 36K run in company of Juggy, Nischal,
and Satsang. The trail head starts just outside the gate of the Rangan
Thittu bird sanctuary which is near the town of Srirangapatna, just before
you hit Mysore on the Mysore Highway travelling from Bangalore.
This is one of the nicest places to run. The trail is hard packed dirt and
one is actually running on the levy of the canal.
The scene is quintessentially Indian, Indian of my childhood days of dreamy
stretches of space filled with river canals, vast stretches of bright green
cultivated fields, oxen resting in the shade of a tree, native village boys
jumping from the bridge into the canal, a lone white egret quietly sailing
into the horizon, vast trees sighing in the breeze with their branches
drooping lazily into the water, sunlit eddies swirling in myriad colors, the
flowing mellifluous waters of the Kaveri canal dreamily humming the 2nd
movement of Beethoven's pastoral symphony, the intense quiet midday heat,
the garrulous buzzing of an annoying insect, sounds of rice fields rusting
as they sway in the breeze...
When at the end of the canal you suddenly come onto the full view of the
Kaveri flowing, it's a marvelous picture. You can hear the river before you
can see it. It is a treat to cross it and dip your hot legs into the
delicious cold stream.
That evening while resting after the arduous run and even into the night I
couldn't get this rythm out of my head. The quiet gentle Kaveri keeps
flowing on... "

The Journey I decided to ride to the race. My Thunderbird has a nagging electrical issue, so I borrowed my BIL's Triumph 400. The posture is less "cruising" and more "aggressive lean-in," but it was a smooth ride. Since the Mysore Expressway is off-limits for two-wheelers, I stuck to service lanes and the old highway, taking a solid two hours to reach the Sugar City, Mandya, to Hotel HP and "the Acharyas".

From there, my mouth went into marathon mode—I was either eating or talking. Coffee and dosas at Hotel HP, followed by dinner at home. I shared my "wisdom" with anyone who would listen, covering everything from Pheidippides to Habuild, and Badri to London.

Race Day Chaos

• 4:45 AM: Rise and shine. Black coffee and bananas.

• 5:15 AM: Ride through the misty highway. I overshot Srirangapatana and had to map my way back.

• 5:55 AM: Reached the parking lot, realized the crowds were huge, and had a 500m jog just to get to the start line. Started hunting for Ath—my designated Bib handler.

• 6:05 AM: No sign of Ath. Began the "AaaaTttthhhh!" war cries.

• 6:10 AM: Ath emerged from a port-a-loo, pointing to my bib. Meanwhile, the Full Marathon had already been flagged off!

• 6:15 AM: Mingled in the HM crowd. A1 and Reeth yelled that the FM had already started!

• 6:18 AM: Started running while looking for a place to hide my gels. Found a rusty gate and hid them under a dried leaf (strategic supply for Loop 2).

• 6:27 AM: Pit stop (long one) in the bushes done. 3km in. Now, time for some serious marathon trail running.

The Run The plan was to hold a 5:00/km pace for at least 36km. The start was misty, the trail was hard-packed, and I felt awesome. I took my first gel at 8k and stuck to a 1 salt tab/30 min schedule. By the 10.5k turnaround, I saw Deepak (who I thought was in 2nd), Ath in 3rd, and I figured I was in 5th.

By the end of Loop 1, the sun was coming out and the course was crowded with 5k and 10k runners. I pulled on my cap and goggles, navigating through the crowd with "coming, through" and our local version, "Side please!".

The Crisis I made the U-turn at exactly 1h:45m. Then, disaster struck. As the crowd cleared, I realized I had forgotten the rusty gate and my hidden gels! My salt tab inventory was down to 6. At the 27k aid station, they were out of chikkis but offered me two Energiva gels. It was a godsend.

I hit the 26k mark at 2:11, but by the U-turn, I slowed to a 5:30 pace, hitting 31.5k in 2:41. I was in 4th place, about 2 minutes behind 3rd. If I didn't cramp, I’d secure 1st in my age group. The last 10k became an exercise in conservation. I was now gulping salt tabs every 3km.

The Finish I treated the final stretch like a daily training run—no pressure. Then I saw a runner walking ahead. Imagining he was the 3rd place guy, I upped the ante and passed him at 40k. I crossed the finish line in 3:44.

Rajesh, at the timing tent confirmed it: 4th place overall, 1st in my Age Group.

The finish line was full of love—A1, Ath, Reena, Rinaz, Shilpi, and others. After many mad photos and breakfast at Young Island, I rode back to Mandya for a shower and more food. As I offered my namaskara to the family, I couldn't help but wonder: "With so much love, how can anything—marathon included—not be great?"

The First Mysore Marathon 2025

After last month's "My sore" Wipro Bangalore marathon - after 18 week training to have a rendezvous with cramps at 29kms needed quick redemption. It was a toss up between KTM and the Inaugural Postal Mysore Marathon. With Mysore, I could stay over at a cousins place, it was all road, plus at Rs.12/km, it was wallet friendly. In general, I plan to race some more, to get my act together with race-day pacing, nutrition and electrolytes.

Mysore Marathon - why?

I managed to squeeze in a 30k and a 20k sandwiched between the two marathons. Family decided to join me to Mysore, and with new clutch plates on my car, I was excited to test all this out, We drove out after carb-loading at Govardhana Giri at Puttige mutt at a function. Quite an apt pre-race ritual, if the marathon course is to take you up Chamundi hill, I guess.

Pre-race

Pre-race always brings in the jitters. Borrowing from George Burns line "if you ask me whats the most important key to race, i would have to say its avoiding cramps. If you didn't ask me, I'd still have to say it." Everyone who came in contact with me that Saturday knew how to avoid and what to do if you get cramps. I also clarified a few times that it was not the same as Kantara Daivaradhane.

I discussed the course with my cousin Sri - the first half was from the postal training center, out to the ring road, 5km on ring road, U-turn and back for 21km. The next half was to take us up Chamundi hills along a now-disfunct pedestrian only back route. The climb would begin at 24k for about 6-7 (67 yeah).

I soaked my feet in Epsom salt, packed my race day nutrition - 4 gels, 8bsalt tabs, set out my gear - 2XU compression pants, had an early dinner and went to bed early.

Race day

The parking lot seemed half a km away from start line. Marathoners are this weird tribe, who run 42kms for nothing, but will argue that the parking lot is 0.5kms too far. I managed to find a hiding spot under a rock for 2 gels which I intended to pick up for the second half.

At the start line, the only familiar face was Nagraj Adiga, the race director. He informed that the race would only start 15mins late, at 4:30, to allow for some daylight! Apparently, this being the first marathon, the only one going up Chamundi hills, there were many issues with police permissions leading up to the race day - what's new?

Akshy, the speedy IAS officer was eyeing the podium, another friend Rahul rounded up everyone that I knew.

First half

200 full marathon registrants, 120 at the start line, I was already within the top 100 in this race! There were a few elite looking runners from services in singlets at the start line and the rest of us mortals.

A muted count down and we took off. Within 1km I caught up with Deepak, he seemed to be running at my target pace. We ran together for the next 20kms, he was fresh off Solang 100k race, a brutal race, with 6000m of climb at altitude, which he had finished 4th, a time of 26hrs!

We only had to watch out for the stray dogs. The ring road stretch was awesome, we were on a (mostly) well lit, undulating service road. We had the lead female runner and her escort for a bit.

I stuck to my schedule of gels every 45mins and salt tab every 30mins and 2 piss breaks in this half. There was just one incident of a dog chase, but otherwise we both reached the PTC on target, in 1:44:xx

Second half / (Not) the better half

We ran along Karinji lake and headed towards the hill. The half marathon was flagged off by Wodeyar, the King of Mysore and was 45mins ahead of us.

Deepak was feeling strong and he took off, wanting to rein in the runner in 4th place.

I took another pee break, bracing for the climb coming up.

My plan was to slow down about a min/km in the uphill and make that up during the return. But into the 26th km, the gradient seemed steep, I decided to walk, peppered with some jogs - the pace slowed to 8min/km. I was still in 6th place and catching up with some slow half marathoners.

After about 3kms of climb, the course surprisingly went downhill. This was the last minute change to the route - rather than go all the way up the hill, we would go down, U-turn and get back up and then down again. I guess I did ok on the downhill, not as fast as I would have liked, but avoiding any cramps. With 3k to U-turn, Akshy passed me in the opp direction, now in first place, Deepak about 2kms behind him in 4th place.

The views were great, the peak was engulfed in a cloud. The rains of the previous week had taken a break and the sun was peeping in through the foliage. The air was crisp and the morning walkers were amused by their peace disturbed by these runners.

The lead female runner, Bejoy passed me before the U-turn and was looking strong.

The 31.7k U-turn came in 2:45, by now, I had stopped looking at my pace. The uphill till 36k was not bad, I just kept walk-jogging, had my gels and salts and still managed to keep cramps at bay.

I managed to run the downhill after the Nandi point, keeping a slow pace and walking when needed. I was passed by another runner on the downhill.

As I started counting down the kms, the 10k, 5k, 3k runners gave outbsome cheers.

I ran into the PTC campus without cramping and went under the finish arch just under 4 hours - 8th male, 9th overall - some consolation.

Again, like my last marathon, I wasn't spent. I had a quick idly vada sambar chutney chutney chutney breakfast and took the long long walk to the parking.

Deepak had finished in 3:37, in 4th place. My family had a puja breakfast at Aunt T's place. Post another breakfast there and shower and lunch at Sri's, we drove back to Bangalore. Another FM done, but i still don't know what to make of these 4hr finishes!