BANGALORE: Dare to Run is the story of Amit and Neepa Sheth, a husband-wife duo who took up running as a sport in their late 30s. The book, a collection of essays talks and captures the experiences of the duo who balances work and family life, while taking part in marathons around the world. We catch up with Mumbai-based Amit Sheth who made his way to Bangalore to launch the book at Reliance
TimeOut recently.
The book is a compilation of essays on your running adventures. How did it come about?
I started running six years ago. Occasionally after running I would write about it and then mail it to my family and friends.
Initially, when I was writing, it was about expressing my feeling about the run. And later, after I completed quite a few runs, I began to feel good about it and wanted to share it with people. In India, people don’t physically exert themselves – it’s a peculiar Indian mindset. I have no background in sports, and yet I could do these runs. So I think, if I can do it, anybody can. That’s how the book came about.
You started to exercise for the first time in your life at the age of 38, after deciding to run the Mumbai Marathon in the year 2006. What made you take part in that marathon?
I watched the Mumbai marathon on television in 2005. My brother-in-law took part in that marathon.
While watching it, I decided that I would take part in it the next year. The atmosphere that prevailed at the marathon was that of a celebration. That’s why I took part.
But you did not fare well at the marathon
I did not. I was one of the last ones to finish. By the time I crossed the finish line, they had removed the clock and the carpet! But there was a sense of accomplishment. And soon, I started running. After a year or so, my wife started running with me.
Our first run abroad was at Prague. Later I realised it was time for me to progress from the standard marathon to bigger ones. I wanted to run from Mumbai to Lonawala, covering about 80 kilometres. That’s when my wife found out about the Ultra Marathon that takes place in South Africa.
I took part in it and ran for 56 kilometres. The next year, I went back and took part in the 89 km Comrades Ultra Marathon. But I couldn’t complete it, because I didn’t reach the cut off time. I covered 81.7 kilometres in 11 hours and 20 minutes, while the cut-off was 82.17 kilometres. I wrote about my experience on the website and it became popular.
Later the organisers called me and made me the brand ambassador of the race in 2009. In 2010, my wife and I finished the marathon. We were the first couple of Indian origin to do it, and my wife became the first Indian woman to complete the marathon.
This book tells the story of how the two of you balance work, home, and family-life while running marathons all over the world. How do you manage to do that?
We live an organised life. That’s what running does to you. The benefits of running come when you train for it. The minute you start taking part in running, your body starts responding to it. It’s not difficult for people
to do it.
Time is never an obstacle for anyone. CEOs of Fortune 500 companies from around the world have the time to do it. It’s about
prioritising life.