Testimonial – Hiten Shah – Comrades Marathon

Comrades 2018: 11:31:20 – Dream, Hope, Believe, Achieve.

Truly special and will always cherish – I now know exactly why they call it the Ultimate Human Race!! 😊

My first international marathon, hence very special, and the terrain makes it even more challenging. This was the 93rd year of Comrades edition – Down Run; What makes this marathon the race it is, is the tradition the Comrades association follows – This race is run from “gun to gun” and has six cut off gates. Race starts from Pietermaritzburg, ends at Durban 90k distance with 31.1k Up; 42.9k down and 16k of flat route.

What makes this marathon very special is the local crowd support – one has to see to believe it! It’s an amazing sight for a runner – through the entire race distance you will never find yourself alone, you are constantly cheered by locals – it’s like party on the streets.

My 1st Comrades marathon will always remain very special for many reasons:

• Unbelievable atmosphere and crowd support
  So many people back home from family and friends tracking your progress through the Sunday – as if they are running along with you
• Having gone down near the 43k mark was like it was all over, until I found new energy to finish race with close to 30 min thanks to unbelievable crowd cheering and local support teams.
• The Ultramarathon is all about discovering yourself (you will laugh, cry and rediscover yourself) – you face many challenges during the Ultra marathon – but it’s the training, long runs, endurance and mental strength that helps you cross finishing line with a smile.

Achieving this wouldn’t have been possible without

• Family Neeta Shah, who stood by me during this entire journey and supported me even though it meant sacrifice of family time
• My coach Daniel Vaz for helping me achieve something which looked unthinkable and his training plan did help me achieve my dream
• Dr. Shinee and entire Physio Rehab team helping me through the entire journey – keeping me fit and injury free, timely advise and many sessions of reformer and core did wonders
• My friends and running buddies (Tushar Pednekar, Jitendra Rathod, Ajay Agumbe, Saurabh Mishra, Tilak Shetty, Yogesh Hemmadi who just didn’t support odd hours long runs & hydration – but also kept me motivated.
• My nutritionist Kinita Kadakia Patel

Tags: Comrades Marathon, marathon, Marathon Training

Category: Patients' Voices