Undeterred by floods, Sangli man runs 'marathon' to meet his newborn

Patil with his newborn daughter

"When I held her in my arms, I forgot about the long distance I had just covered," said the 32-year-old marathon runner from Sangli, who, undeterred by floods, ran about 20 km to meet his newborn daughter. On the morning of August 12, Sagar Patil was at Ulwe in Navi Mumbai, where he works as a senior data analyst with Morningstar India, when he received a phone call from his home at Islampur village, Sangli. His wife had delivered a baby girl.

Elated, he decided to find a way to reach Islampur to meet his newborn daughter. The only hurdle in his journey was the flood in Sangli. However, he still packed his bag, left his Ulwe home at 5 am and boarded a train, then took a bus and reached Pune. From Pune, he left for Karad and reached the city around 2.30 pm, and realised that the journey ahead was not going to be an easy one. There was no means of transport available for Sangli, but Patil had made up his mind and wasn't going to be deterred by the rain and flooding.

Also Read: Mumbai-Pune trains from Friday, line restored after 13 days

"At first, I wasn't able to figure out how I to reach home. I saw a few cars heading towards Sangli and asked for a lift, but no one stopped. Being a sportsman since childhood and having run several marathons, I decided to use my running skills and began my journey on foot. From Karad, I ran almost 15 km and then walked through the flooded regions for a few more kilometres. On the route ahead, two bikers gave me a lift and I covered about 5 km. I ran another 4 km and finally reached the civic hospital around 6 pm. The thought of seeing my daughter kept me motivated throughout the journey and I was elated to hold her in my arms."

Patil had participated in national level running competition when he was in college in 2008. Around 2015, he started running marathons and won a medal last year after completing a 42-km Mumbai marathon in three-and-a-half-hours. He is now preparing for the Boston marathon.

Also Read: State floods: Rs 6,813-crore relief okayed

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