Preparing for his next challenge after completing a 270 km "non-stop" run from New Delhi to Chandigarh, India's ultra-marathon runner Arun Bhardwaj today said he needs government and corporate support to continue.
Bhardwaj, who has run on all terrains including icy mountains to deserts and coastal areas, said to make ultra-marathon popular in India, it needs a sustained effort at various levels, especially from the government.
The 46-year-old finished his latest run in 49 hours and 34 minutes, which he started on April 23 evening from Central Park, Connaught Place, New Delhi.
He said he only took short naps of about 25 minutes each on three occasions during his run.
Bhardwaj, who has in the past also taken loan and withdrawn money from his General Provident Fund to participate in marathon runs in India and abroad, now considers himself lucky to have got the full support from Garmin Ltd, a leading company in satellite navigation.
He also said he completed the run with the help of Garmin Forerunner 920XT, "the world's first GPS multi-sport device."
Giving details of his latest run, Bhardwaj, who hails from Baoli village in U.P.'s Bhagpat, said despite having escort vehicles and support staff with him, what added to the challenge was traffic.
High pollution levels in Delhi and strange looks from curious onlookers who wondered why the middle-aged man was running in the dead of the night and during peak summer heat of the day were also among the issues he faced.
"Some presumed that I belonged to the Army and was part of some expedition. Yet there were others who thought I may have come from Europe, America or Africa, as they had never heard of any Indian running such distances at a stretch. To some, I gave short reply that there has to be a bit of madness involved in what I am doing," Bhardwaj, who is employed with NITI Aayog in Delhi, told PTI here.
In his daily routine, Arun Bhardwaj runs about 25-30 km distance from his Dwarka residence to his office in New Delhi.
"I want to popularise long distance running in India and want more and more people to take it up," he said.
