Today I’m excited to share the third GavaTeaOotyultra 90k runner. Rajesh Patni, a fitness enthusiast from Jaipur, believes that being fit should be a part of everyone’s lifestyle. Rajesh is a businessman from Jaipur and lives in Mumbai. It was in April 2018 when he ran his first half marathon without any prior running experience.
I asked him a few questions about his running journey and about how excited he has been to run the OOTYULTRA 90k.
How did your running journey begin?
Running did not become part of my life until I joined the Pink City Runners in 2018. Since then, I have run several half marathons, full marathons, and a few ultras. To top it, he ran a blindfolded half marathon on 15-Dec in Cairns Pink City Half Marathon, which he completed in 1 hour and 56 min.
What is your philosophy behind running and training to achieve your race day goals?
If we have a passion for anything, then it is just a matter of time when we get better each day by practicing it religiously. Running with minimum risk and injury-free is a rewarding experience that puts to test an athlete’s courage, perseverance, and determination. The running aspect of a race is just a formality since the journey starts when the day training begins. The outcome purely depends on how successfully the training program was executed.
How are you going to approach completing the challenging OOTYULTRA 90k on 5-Apr?
OOTYULTRA is a dream run for marathoners, and I have been looking forward to doing it. I met Coach Kay when I was running my first ultra during The Border run, and heard a lot about OOTYULTRA. On that day, I had made up my mind that sooner or later, I will be running the OOTYULTRA one day.I am very excited about the challenges and keen to run the 90 km distance within 12 hrs. Running in the Nilgiris Mountains will get me closer to nature that would give the required strength and belief that I can achieve the which looks very difficult to achieve.
How are you planning to train for the race?
A simple training routine is what I follow. Being a lifestyle runner, I run as many km as I can in 3-4 days a week and make sure I do at least one hill run. On the other days, I concentrate on weight training and eating healthy. Of course, I’ll include specific training strategies to strengthen myself physically and mentally to take OOTYULTRA head-on.
Rajesh has an extensive list of challenging Ultramarathons to run in the coming years. Please join me in wishing him the best of luck to complete the OOTYULTRA 90 & to become a true #ultramalaivasi.
#coachkay, Race Director, OOTYULTRA
