Mid-day 44th anniversary special: Run-deep Kumar blazes a trail

Adrenaline fuelled runs for India, is the Ultramate high for Sandeep Kumar (right)

Sandeep Kumar made Mumbai his home in December 2020. The Surat native, who has now put down roots in the hip residential suburb of Powai, was working as an engineer in Mumbai post his arrival. In a few months he changed track to give wings to his running dreams, becoming a full-time running coach.

‘Runn Kumar' to give the 29-year-old his nickname, said, "I have been running since childhood. My feet flew over different surfaces, on trails, river paths, mountains and city roads. That is my first love." Kumar decided his ‘first love' warranted all his time and absolute, undivided loyalty. He made the leap from engineering to sports entrepreneur. Kumar used to run the 200m and 400m distance in school and the 3000m and 5,000m in college. He said, "Working at a desk job, I craved mobility. The sun seemed to call out to me, nature beckoned and I started running, especially on weekends. I ran long distance in Surat too, and found my marathon feet so to speak, after I ran a half-marathon in Mumbai many years ago."

Kumar said, "My choice of location was fuelled by the running boom I saw exploding all over. Contrary to perception that this city has no place for outdoors sport, Mumbai does have challenging running spaces, you just need to think out of the box to find them. For instance, people usually think Marine Drive when talking about a stretch for outdoors running. They need to try the inclines at Pali Hill or Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) too."

It was not just space but the entire eco system for athletes available in Mumbai, that Kumar highlighted. The runner and coach, who has a running club called Rungineers (an amalgamation of running and engineering) said, "The availability of gyms, masseurs, nutritionists, sports psychologists and rehab specialists completes the athletics package. The entire infra is available and accessible. Added to this is the level of competition which is intense. There are a lot of athletes travelling to Mumbai too for events and all this means more exposure too. This is not so in Surat." Kumar trains students mainly at Nepean Sea Road's Priyadarshini Park.

Currently, Kumar has 16 students, mainly sprinters, but some middle and long - distance runners too. He said, "I am a World Athletics Level-1 coach certified by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), ACSM marathon trainer and an ISSA sports nutritionist."

It has been some way for the speedy Surat-ite who was born in Sonipat, Haryana to a family into defence and agriculture. Kumar said, "My grandfather served in the army as Subedar Major in the education core group where he used to train army officers. My father was a farmer." Kumar's older brother is an Asst. postmaster while his sister is a real estate entrepreneur.

A student of Hindu Vidyapeeth school and a Government Engineering College alumnus, Kumar said he was always academically inclined. He explained, "Biology was my favourite school subject. Engineering helped me as a coach. It gave me the ability and skill sets to excel technically and this made me adept at using data and science effectively."

That training efficacy is evident in Kumar's passion which is simply running, whether it is pushing the endurance envelope as an individual, or seeing his students fly across the finish line. He said his aim is, "representing India in ultramarathons." He is a strong animal advocate and proud vegan athlete. He also holds Ultra trail marathons under his company banner, Grand India Trails. Wrapping up, he said, "I want to train athletes to have podium finishes at platforms like the Commonwealth Games, the Asian games, and I dare to dream, at the Olympics too." For Kumar, the stirring sounds of the national anthem and the sight of the tricolour unfurled at an international event, is all the motivation he needs through his days in the megapolis. One of his trainees, Sakshi Chavan, represented "India at the Asian Youth Athletics Championships, Kuwait in 2022". Kumar is from the diamond hub of Surat, but it is evident for this ‘rungineer,' the dazzle of diamonds pales in comparison to the prospect of sunbeams glinting off a medal around his student's neck on an international athletics podium.

Mumbai meri jaan?

Love about Mumbai The opportunities it gives people and the new avenues it offers career wise.

Hate about Mumbai The city's rush hours and traffic.

Expectations from Mumbai? I expect it would give me the chance to pursue my passion and actually turn it into my profession.

Did Mumbai live up to your expectations? Yes, I am happy to say it did.

Will the city be forever home? I certainly hope so.