Running isn’t a trend, even though over the last few years, there has been an increase in corporate marathons. Ask Anand Adkoli, founder of Coffee Day Malnad Ultra Marathon and he says “man was designed” to run. “Have you heard of Born to Run ?” he asks, referring to the cult book on running by Christopher McDougall. The book stresses the point Adkoli makes. “Our modern lifestyle has made us lose that inbuilt ability to run, which has led to lifestyle diseases like backaches and diabetes.”
Adkoli retired after two-decades in the international software industry in the U.S., Australia, U.K. and India and has been running for fitness for 30 years now. Running, he says, has always been a passion.
He spends most of his time farming, promoting endurance and advocates a sustainable lifestyle. “The first thing I do in the morning is run.”
But, he is not all gung-ho when it comes to running in cities. Adkoli, who is based in Bengaluru, says: “We don’t enjoy running through crowds and traffic. There are about 10,000 marathoners in India. Most of them are bored of running in cities.”
It was for this reason that he started Coffee Day Malnad Ultra Marathon that had around 300 marathoners run through the stunning trails of coffee plantations south-east of the Bhadra Reservoir in the Western Ghats. Seasoned marathoners were treated to a “terrific” running experience. Adkoli says running amidst nature is a different experience, altogether.
The Malnad Marathon, says Adkoli, took the runners to the prettiest areas of the South. “Running has become commercial in India. The essence of running has been lost in all of that. It’s not just about the ego. With this marathon, we took running to the next level,” says Adkoli, as he opens his laptop to show images of the breathtaking paths that were explored. “The challenges of long-distance running like this is – it is all about endurance,” emphatically adding, “not speed.”
He says that you can’t go against nature, so you run against resistance, which is thrilling. “You also undergo physiological and mental changes.”
But running in the Western Ghats doesn’t mean that one would be insensitive to nature. “Being environmentally conscious is important,” he says and adds that it is a priority for the Malnad Ultra Marathon.
Adkoli ran his first marathon in San Francisco in 1992, but took a break from running events for some years and took to playing squash. In 2007, he ran a 42K at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon at the age of 42. He is a regular at the Kaveri Trail Marathon, the Bangalore Ultra and the Bengaluru Marathon. “In 2014, I volunteered at the La Ultra in Ladakh. And in 2015, I was part of a team that completed 333K at the La Ultra.” He smiles and adds: “I am an evolved runner.”
Adkoli says the Malnad Ultra Marathon will be an annual event open to seasoned runners across the country.
