BHUBANESWAR : There is no age limit to fulfilling one’s dreams. Dukhishyam Padhy has proven this adage true by becoming one of the three runners from Odisha to complete the Berlin Marathon on September 27.
The 77-year-old from Bhubaneswar has clocked 5 hours, 20 minutes and 32 seconds to complete the 42.195-km race, marking his 141st marathon in a running career spanning 10 years. He was joined by Ramesh Kumar Sahu, who finished 5:31:11, and Bibhabasu Dash, who crossed the finish line in 6:08:25.
What made the trio’s participation all the more significant was that they were among the first runners from Odisha to complete the Berlin Marathon, said the elated septuagenarian. While some Odia runners have participated in the event in the past, they were mostly NRIs.
The Berlin Marathon, held in the German capital, is one of the six World Marathon Majors, alongside races in Boston, New York, Chicago, London and Tokyo. Renowned for its flat course, fast conditions and enthusiastic crowd support, the event takes runners through the city’s streets and past iconic landmarks, including the Brandenburg Gate.
The 2026 edition was the 52nd since the marathon was first held in 1974. It attracted around 56,000 finishers from 160 countries. Securing a place in the race is difficult, with entry through a ballot system. Padhy’s selection gave him the opportunity to fulfil a long-held ambition of competing in one of the world’s most celebrated marathons.
Competing in the 75-and-above age category, Padhy finished 33rd among 66 runners. Sahu and Dash competed in the 65-and-above category. All three completed the race within the stipulated cut-off time of six hours and 15 minutes.
For Padhy, however, the achievement went beyond finishing another marathon. “Running with participants from 160 countries felt like running with the whole world. A dream became reality, and it will remain a lifelong memory,” he said.
A native of Hinjili, he eventually settled in Bhubaneswar in 2014 after retirement. “There was earlier hardly any scope of marathons in Odisha. In 2016, I participated in Tata Steel Bhubaneswar half marathon at the age 66 years and completed 21 km. This encouraged me to take part in the coming marathon events across the country, said Padhy.
In the last 10 years of his running career, he has completed 141 running events with 44 podium finishes across 24 states in the country, including significant marathons like Mumbai Tata, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune, Goa, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi, Vadodara, Ladakh and others. Last year, he also completed Bangkok Marathon (42.2 km).