Hyderabad marathon call

Amar Subba

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, May 23, 2018, Gangtok: Amar Subba, Sikkim's 'Marathon Man', has been invited to participate in the first 12-hour (night) Hyderabad Stadium Run to be held at the Gachibowli Stadium in the City of Pearl on May 26.

The invitation only competition will be the third ultra marathon Subba will be participating in after the runs in Bangalore in 2014 and Mumbai in 2015. Subba had stood third in the Bangalore run and fifth in the Mumbai ultra marathon.

What is new about the Hyderabad event is that it will be held at night, which is a first for Subba, who is hailed in the Himalayan state as the 'Marathon Man'. "This will be my first run in the night. It will be very challenging. However, I will give it my best for the sake of Sikkim and our people," he said here on Tuesday before leaving for Hyderabad.

The long-distance stadium runs are judged on the distance covered by an athlete in the given time. Subba, for instance, had covered 96 kms in 12 hours when he had stood third in the Bangalore run. The Indian record in the 12-hour run, Subba said, stands in the name of Arun Bhardwaj at 104.6 kms.

The diminutive Subba said his dream is to cover 100 kms in 12 hours and he will give that target a shot in Hyderabad. "I had very little time for preparation this time because of various commitments, but I will be motivated by the desire to perform for Sikkim," he said.

Subba said in order to prepare for his first the night run, he has been trying to sleep as late as possible during the past few days. "I have been eating light food, and delaying my sleep as far as possible. I also did a 60-kilometre run at my native village recently as part of my preparation," said the man from Dalap village in West Sikkim.