Mumbai Marathon: Meet only 3 runners who have run all 19 full marathons so far

Runners full of fire who never tire of the daunting distance Thatrsquos what one could call these Mumbaikars who have completed 19 full marathonsmdasha searing distance of 42195 kmmdashin 19 years of the Mumbai Marathon On January 19 Mahesh Salvi Girish Mallya and Raj Vadgama who is currently in Brazil for an ultramarathon will be attempting to make that 20 in this edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon TMM Vadgama will return to Mumbai only a day before the event The 19yearold affair has not given rise to fatigue in fact the mindbody connection is stronger than ever and every marathon gives them the fuel and fillip to run more the marathoners claimedStamina originsTravel professional Mahesh Salvi likes to travel long distances on his feet most of the time The BorivliGorai resident who has earned the tag lsquoSpeedy Salvirsquo said his longdistance running stamina had an interesting genesis as a young boy he used to do the milk and newspaper route ldquoI lived in Goregaon then As a school student I would deliver milk and newspapers to buildings in the vicinity I am in my 40s now Years ago there were not too many highrises and I used to climb short buildings with no lift in them There were at least 45 of these maybe four floors each to deliver milk I believe my stamina built up from thererdquoSalvi went from being a sprint specialist in college to 5000 m and 10000 m races and then going up to marathonshellip all merely by chance ldquoIn college my coach R M Kumar said I should try for longer distances Then once at work by chance I was entered for the full Mumbai marathon in 2004 I finished the distance in approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes which was pretty fast I actually surprised myself and then went on to compete in all the subsequent marathons I have competed in 19 to date guided by my coach Daniel Vaz Today my run time hovers around 5 hours as I do not get the time to practice as much Every mile is a lesson for life I want to keep learning keep runningrdquo he saidEither wheels or heelsGirish Mallya is an inspiring picture of wheels and heels This Chembur resident who either cycles or runs to work to his Lower Parel office will be running his 20th full marathon in the TMM He stated ldquoIt has never been about shaving off timings for me I aim to complete the race enjoy myself while doing so and to recover completely by the next morningrdquoThe media professional editor and publisher of T3 India magazine said ldquoI have been running for more than 25 years The Mumbai marathon in my city holds a special place in my heart I have run half and full marathons adventure runs triathlons a mix of swimming cycling and running and Ultramarathons too An Ultramarathon is a race above the traditional full marathon distance of 42195 km but every event is significanthellip every race teaches you the best you can berdquoMallya 49 is a running ambassador and an evangelist spreading the message to run He believes the corporate world caught up in the proverbial rat race should compete in real races too He also holds talks for corporates to motivate employees into taking up running and fitness activities and make lifestyle changes which can reflect in the boardroom as wellMind connectRaj Vadgama 57 is currently in Sao Paulo Brazil where he is to run the Brazil 135 a 240 km ultramarathon on January 9 The cutoff time for the race is 60 hours Vadgama who is a running coach said ldquoI will return to India on January 18 post ultra and will be running my 20th full marathon in Mumbai on January 19rdquo Asked whether his body will have enough recovery time the Goregaon resident stated ldquoWhen you have been into fitness for 40 years like I have then it is about having a mindset which is certainly different from othersrdquo Vadgama who was an interior designer earlier considers himself fortunate to turn a passion into a profession ldquoI have a special connect with the Mumbai route and the Mumbai marathon It has given me so much in life It has impacted me hugely and my familyhellip wife Jyoti and son Indrajeet too I hope to be running till I am 100rdquo laughed Vadgama whose youngest student is 14 and the oldest 70