The indomitable Joggernaut
--
C S Jayanth Subramanian
Inborn sporting talent and determination have
a penchant for prevailing over unfavorable conditions like lack of
infrastructure and organizational support.
Like millions of boys in India, Shashwat Rao too aspired
to be a cricketer. He played for his college cricket team and a fair bit of
Club Cricket too. Even as he was completing his education, the best days of his
cricketing exploits began fading in the background. He settled down in Bangalore
and and like most young people of his
age lived a fast paced life. Suddenly, for no good reason he bid goodbye to his
Job.
Sitting with eyes rivetted on the computer screen and
punching keys did not interest him anymore. He zoomed away on his beloved Royal
Enfield “Bullet” to explore every nook
& corner of the country.In short, he rebelled!. But soon he returned and
joined Wisden India, the statistics arm of Cricinfo the popular Sport news website
owned by ESPN as cricket analyst.
Shashwat began
jogging to and from work to break the monotony of everyday life. He
participated in road marathons in various towns and hill stations and started
saving money.
He developed a burning desire to run along trails in the
lofty mountains. Soon Shashwat Rao was a well known, popular figure easily recognized among the small Ultra
Runners fraternity in India.
Meanwhile his dream of the
mountain solitude where he could jog along peacefully for hours far away from
the bustling city of Bangalore grew stronger.
He
qualified for the Ultra-trail du Mont
Blanc (UTMB) a171Km mountain trail race passing through France,Italy and
Switzerland. Though overjoyed something began gnawing at his mind. How would he
train for the prestigious event where he would contend with the world’s best
Ultra Runners?
So he quit his job once again and headed to Solang Valley about 15 Kms from Manali
in Himachal Pradesh and lived in a shack in an obscure village on the side of a
mountain. His only protection from the biting Himalayan Cold was a sleeping
bag. Life was difficult ; shoveling heaps of snow that covered the shack,
gathering firewood and managing with
frugal diet. Being South Indian and a Vegan made it more challenging. Acclimatizing to the high
altitude and low oxygen levels was never easy. But, he trained hard on the
gorgeous mountain trails.
Now, the vast mountain slopes of lawn in Solang Valley is a popular skiing Destination visited by hundreds
of tourists both native & Foreign.Strapped for cash , the resourceful
Rao began carrying gliders on his back to the mountain top,essentially
doing the job of a porter for the tourists who would launch themselves from the peak. .While he
earned small sums of money, it also helped him get stronger. And with help from
well-wishers & friends he reached Paris, participated in UTMB & was the
only Indian to cross the finishing line.
In early 2014
a small group of “Ultra”enthusiasts
in India led by Vishwas Sindhu fantasized about India’s Own Ultra Trail. After exploring several
routes &considering all aspects, a trail route was finalized:
The road from Manali to Leh, spanning over a length of 480 km through the most treacherous stretch of
the Himalayan mountain range : Manali – Rohtang – Kokhsar -Keylong –
Jispa – Zingzingbar – Baralacha La – Gata Loops – Nakee La – Lachulung La –
Tanglang La – Upshi – Leh.The little known sport of Ultra running was coming of age in India.
The
breathtaking trail takes runners through
five of the most imposing mountain passes reaching upto 17600 Ft., a series of
21 switch backs & vast plains. Aptly Christened the “HellUltra” or The Hell Race,
the first edition was held in September 2016.
Hungarian
Ferenc Szonyi is the only runner who has finished the race on two
occasions. He is known for his ability
to maintain an incredibly fast pace throughout the race. He completed the
challenge in113 hours 13min 29sec in 2017 &an astonishing 108 hr 52min 29
sec. in 2018. Shashwat Rao had the
opportunity of watching Szonyi‘s pre- race training from close quarters. He
acted as his support . In the 2018 he even managed to keep pace with the superman
in most of the first half of the Hell race. All the while , he wasQuietlygearing
up for his next big Challenge.He aspired
to win the Hell race for himself.
The
big moment arrived as Shashwat Rao lined up with sixother Ultraathletes at the
starting line of the Hell race at
Manali in June. 2019. The runners were off the starting blocks at 10.00 pm.
Taking short 30 minute naps, eating a handful of Rice & Dhal at road side Dhabas and munching Granola energy bars on the run became routine over the next five days. By the end of the third day it became clear that two runners Pulkith Jain and Shashwat Rao would challenge eachother to the extreme right upto the finishing point at Shanti Stupa in Leh.
Volunteers
along the trail and trackers were awestruck by the ferocious determination in Shashwat
Rao’s eyes.Murmurs that this would be a stupendous battle of perseverance and debilitation
excited the onlookers. In his own words"The
thought of becoming the First Indian to win the Hell Ultra further strengthened
my resolve” and he was in no mood to squander the opportunity. With the allotted
120 hour deadline firmly etched in mind, he jogged along inright earnest.
Chewing
up Kilometres , he Covered the plains in the dead of night. It was not easy running. Fighting exhaustion and delirium induced by
lack of sleep, braving the excruciating pain caused by a cracked shin bone he managed to run past the Banner at the
finishing line.The Chronometer stopped at 113 H, 36 m, 50 Sec. The only other
finisher Jain arrived 33 minutes later.
The
winner of the 2019 edition Shashwat Rao and runner-up Pulkith Jain
thus became the first Indians ever to finish theHell Ultra.
The
winner was rewarded with a commemorative Tee shirt, a wooden plaque, a Bouquet
of flowers and little else.
However
Shashwat Rao has received greater rewards. Kuai
Sports Promotions ,Hong Kong the sponsors of Trail Master Championship
series (trail running) has conferred the
Title of “ Asia Trail Grand-master”,
on him by virtue of being the first runner from India to triumph at the ATM
Quest,which requires aspirants to
complete six recognized Asia Trail Master races of not less than 70 Kms distance each within two years.
He has now qualified for the 10th Anniversary edition of Tor des Géants (meaning Tour of Giants)
a punishing 356 Km mountain endurance Trail Race
which will held in the Aosta Valley covering the Italian Alps & Grand Paradiso National Park
in Italy in Sep.-Oct. 2019.
A
few federations around the world cater specifically to trail &ultra running
and support their Runners.But, In India, these extreme athletes have to depend entirely on private sponsors and
Sports enthusiasts.
The
Athletics Federation of India has only recently focused its attention on this
sport.
Sashwat
Rao has made an Appeal for support to offset
the costs of travel, accommodation, entry fees etc.for theTor des Géantsin the Crowd funding platform Ketto.org.Details are
available at https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/tor
ATM
Grandmaster Shashwat Rao, a qualified engineer and MBA is now rightfully regarded as the pioneer of high
endurance sport in India.Ordinary
mortals however considerUltra trail running as an unforgivingly Brutal Sport.
Shobha
& Nanda Kishore Rao, the proud parents of Shashwat Rao are residents of V.V
Mohalla Mysore.
Note:
Ultra running is a
long distance running sport that has evolved around ultramarathons.. An ultra distance
race is typically a race of any distance beyond 42.16 Kms .(The standard
marathon)
The most common races
begin at 50Km, and can span up to 175 Kms long. Ultra races can take place on
roads, mountain trails or tracks, and as a result of the growing popularity, more than 75,000
athletes compete in ultra races each year.
