HYDERABAD : Sending out a message that getting back to a fitness regimen is important after the lockdown, eight ultra runners relay ran from Hyderabad to Warangal in 38 hours, covering 344 km. Coached by Siva Swaroop from Trysquad, the runners started their journey on January 29 at 8 pm and reached Warangal on January 31 at around 10 am.
Explaining what an ultra run is, Siva said: “An ultra run is a run covering distances greater than that of a full marathon (42.2 km). The participants were part of Hyderabad Ultra Runners group and this run was organised to launch this group.” Surender Reddy, Nageswara Rao Yazali, Satish Gandreti, Siva Swaroop, Sujay Antony, Veera Bokkam, Dipak and Vedavyas Buragadda took up the challenge.
Each runner was given five hours to complete 42 km. Although they had expected that eight runners would need 40 hours to cover the distance between BHEL Hyderabad and 1000 Pillars Temple in Warangal, they finished it earlier. What were the safety precautions taken to run at night? “The night runners were equipped with reflectors. There were two support vehicles — a scooter and a car — following all the runners. The vehicles also had water and snacks.
They ran undeterred by heavy traffic, foggy nights and hot days. They had some trouble running on the concrete roads on Hyderabad-Warangal highway, but finished in time nevertheless,” said the coach.
Siva, who is a software professional, began running in 2015. He joined the group Hyderabad Runners, and completed full and ultra marathons with them.
After finishing a course in yoga, in 2019, he founded his own running group called TRY (Train with Running Yogi). “Ultra runners must have completed at least one full marathon,” he adds about what it takes.