Fitness: How to be the fastest runner in an ultra marathon

On his way back, he visits the fields his family owns to tend to crops. The evening is spent at the shop once again until closing hours. By the time he’s home, there’s just enough time to tuck into a late dinner before hitting the sack.

It’s a packed routine that allows little time for leisure. But it’s those predawn hours that he thrives on, where he’s treading mile after mile, flourishing in his own company as he looks to attain new highs in the world of ultra running.

One such moment came at the Comrades Marathon (85.9km) in South Africa in June, where Chaudhari clocked 7 hours, 4 minutes, the fastest time by an Indian runner. The previous mark on the “Up Run”—it is held every alternate year where the course runs from Durban to Pietermaritzburg—was another Indian runner Sandeep Kumar’s 7 hours, 30 minutes. Chaudhari even bettered the “Down Run” timing (from Pietermaritzburg to Durban) of 7 hours, 26 minutes held by runner Kartik Joshi.

“I wanted to lower the previous time by a good margin, since I knew it would be difficult for me to travel to this race regularly. The target was to go sub-7 hours, but a few things didn’t fall in place,” Chaudhari, says.

He got interested in running in 2017, when he would wake up to watch his seniors train, as they looked to clear the fitness test for joining the police force. When a few of them egged Chaudhari on to run with them, he turned out to be a natural.

The distances were knocked off with ease: In just two months, he graduated from 5km to a half marathon. And at his first marathon in 2019, his potential was evident when he completed the run in under three hours. After the covid-19 pandemic, he landed an invitation to run on trails, and in turn, he soon had his first opportunity to attempt an ultra marathon.

“Ultra running is a different world. I had to not only work on my endurance and strength, but had to change little things such as my sleep cycle before a race, since a lot of runs extend into the night. On the whole, I enjoyed running for these extended periods of time and observing how my body was reacting to the effort I was putting in,” he says.

The Comrades was on his to-do list for 2023. He put in some hard miles while training for it, but eventually fell short of funds and was left disappointed. This time around, a fellow runner and well-wisher, Rajendra Shirke, informed Chaudhari that he was paying his entry fee (around ₹ 21,000) for the race. He found another sponsor for travel, while digging into his savings for other expenses. Running shoe brand Brooks came on board last year to sponsor his gear. “The salary from my part-time job (at the medical store) and the prize money from previous races sorted out my race expenses,” says Chaudhari.

While training, Chaudhari logged a weekly average mileage of 180-195km. He covered about 25-30km each day, splitting it between easy-paced long runs, tempo runs and interval training sessions. For the latter, which he did twice a week, he preferred repetitions over longer distances between 3-5km. Besides strength training sessions at the gym, he also pulled out time for a 3km swim at a dam nearby.

Sundays were usually reserved for long runs. Three such efforts in the run-up to the Comrades made him realise that he was ready for the challenge, the record well within his reach if all went as per plan. In April, he ran 40km in a personal best time of 2 hours, 42 minutes. The following month, he ran 50km in 3 hours, 20 minutes, and another 60km —that had an elevation gain of 800m—in 4 hours, 4 minutes.

“During these runs, I didn’t focus much on hydration or nutrition to see how the body reacts. It was quite hot at the time and it really tested my abilities. I managed it quite well and was satisfied with my preparation,” he says.

After arriving in South Africa, he did short runs to get a feel of the local conditions. All along, he loaded on the carbohydrates, while spending a lot of time simply resting. “I don’t get much time to just put my feet up and relax back home, so this was a great chance to do just that,” he says.

The only thing on his mind at the start line was to stick to his race plan. Though he admits there was also the pressure of expectations. “A lot of Indian runners were talking about how I would perform. I didn’t want to disappoint those who had faith in my abilities. So where I usually tend to start pushing right at the start in pursuit of the runner ahead, I had to practise restraint this time around and watch a few get past me,” he says.

While running the Comrades, once beyond the 6km mark, Chaudhari picked up the pace to average between 3.30-4.30 minutes per kilometre. His trail running experience made him feel at ease on the climbs and he ensured his hydration was on point. The 6 hour, 30 minute target was on track until he hit the 67km mark. It’s when he saw a lot of elite runners dropping out of the race and a few others struggling to make progress.

“It played on my mind because I’m not a professional runner and this was my first international race. The body felt good, but I decided to slow down and take on a conservative approach,” he recalls.

Over the next 13km, Chaudhari dropped the pace and only picked it up once he realised he had a relatively flat final section before the finish. It cost him his target but he was all smiles as he received a silver medal (handed out to male finishers who clock between 6 hours and 7 hours, 29 minutes) for his efforts.

“I’m happy to have achieved something significant and really hope that there’s another Indian who can break this record soon,” he says.

Shail Desai is a Mumbai-based freelance writer.