Varsha Marathon 21k - Still very much part of the road rage I guess.

Talked about a photo finish a day before and guess thats what we bagged incidentally. While Subham was at it since 2:30am in 50km category, my plight began at 6am and much relieved with less or no rain during the entire run of 21kms at Lonavala Varsha Marathon.

This was the first for me at Lonavala and was pretty overwhelmed with the number of people not just turning up for the event but the usual tourist made their presence felt with the long queues of vehicles right in the heart of this hill escapade. If you plan to be in Lonavala, its advised to cross the bhushi dam before 10:30am else the travel time bound to increase by 1-2hours especially on the weekend.

Having rested the legs from the Ultra runs, the shorter category was chosen to keep the momentum going and keep the strings attached to the events that help me try something new. So far, I have been in a hurry to finish the shorter runs, but eventually I am also getting to know how demanding it gets when you try to be competitive in your own ways. Guess that also comes with a habitual childhood wherein the sports day was only meant to show the best side of you and win accolades every year. With no smart phones and TV and zero OTT life was only subsided by the physical activities, be it any sport we were game for it.

The BIB collection was at the city centre and is around 8-10kms from the race start line and heading there in the day time after the collection was another hour drive depending on what time you start from Lonavala. So ground rule, no matter what, just cross Bhushi dam before 10:30 or 11am.

I made it to canvas resort by 4pm and this was apt considering it was approximately 4kms away from the start point. The glamping tents at this resort are a bliss with excellent views to Ambey valley. The rains now and then thundered pretty loud and could add to a little bit of worry if your start time is anywhere post midnight. That reminds me, the places are booked over the weekend and is up for grabs only for the fastest finger else, you are in lure to find a place to crash.

Got the opportunity to interact with a new tribe of runners who eat miles for breakfast. The determination of going past everybody's expectations was quite evident from the body language and why not, thats the aura one can build from any sport that allows you to create your own niche. Underrated for reasons know for good, marking ones territory is the runners high you derive from such instances.

The last evening supper with these superstars and off we go to tidy the attire for the run tomorrow. I low-key had kept it simple affair, with 250ml hydration sipper and 5 gels to gun down the miles on the road. A good night is all I wished for from a tiring day with most of my time spent in traffic. So a 6am start needs me to wake up at 4:30am and get going by 5am to make it to venue latest by 5:45am considering the travel time is around 10-15 mins. The roads were filled with runners too and the dense fog makes it quite tricky to manoeuvre on the road and find a parking space 500 meters away from the venue. A drizzle here and there was bound to be experienced and was mindful about it because of no rain cover on me and just the running gear.

Now with that elevation throttle, I could put my best foot forward and achieve the below:

A good downhill run in the initial 7-8kms was a nice warmup and knowing the return to the start point is going to be strenuous knowing the elevation that felt friendly initially could behave otherwise in the return journey. The only vengeance I had within me was to not walk the course and had a been a good training ground for the upcoming Hell Ultra in Goa and is quite intimidating as per the email.

Am I up for 60kms yet? Aah may be 🫣, but roads definitely were the first love when I started running. The mileage gains were on roads as trail possess a different challenge in terms of logistics and running longer in trails could be preferably done in protected environment and hence the trail events calendar makes it to the top. Its one epitome of strength building and you bet, it helps you with your longevity in terms of health.

When the clock hit 6:15am, I found myself running along side some good young runners and seasoned runners who help you make the push after every mile. They are a bunch of motivators and knowing you are against the gen z, a lot of questions get answered owing the experience, endurance you carry at these runs, especially the shorter ones. One simple feeling, the amount of endurance built from 100ks and 100milers, it definitely gives me a boost of confidence that yes, it can be done as I have use the energy to last a couple of hours. But a judgement in terms of a heart rate at such sprints can be alarming at times and that is exactly I am training to draw the line to excel but not to exceed the limitation yet. This learning curve is an experience in itself.

Those flex poses come naturally 😬and havent been shy ☺️ to the cameras. Keep them coming, keep them shooting 😜. Also, flashing the athlos tee which has been a good second skin to wear without having to think much about its weight and has come in quite handy to experience a good dri fit attire on trails as well as roads. It sits well on my shoulder and chaffing since then hasnt been a concern too. Need to get my hands on a few more for sure 👌.

The aid stations at this race were placed at every 2.5 to 3 km interval and hence carrying a hydration vest wasn't necessary for the ultra running category too. I used these stations to sip some water and pour it in myself to sustain the humidity quotient. They seem well equipped for runners to grab some nutrition and wasnt a worry for it to be run out as its quite accessible for patrol vehicles to address may day calls if any.

Definitely had Subham in sight and a good cheer from him helped me push to an extent. Thats the power of having someone even as a crew in the longer format to support your survival instincts and the agreement of following strategy that only you and your crew can understand is a win in itself.

Btw, A good amount of fog across the route and this lasted beyond 10am or so. The sun light did play peekaboo every now and then, but the winds still made be shiver post a short rain session which was good enough for me get drenched. Abhijit showed up from his ride and was good to have him share some banter about the upcoming runs and catchups.

Poor guy had to spend 2 hours or so wondering If I could be called up sooner to bag the trophy in my age category, had to leave to ride back to the town only to know that it literally took 5 hours to get my hands on the accolade and yes, I could live with this result for sure.

It was good catching up with some familiar faces as usual and knowing the whereabouts

Thats rajeevontherun

and Jay reining his 225th run like no ones business with a special BIB number and also the brand ambassador of Varsha Marathon 2025.

The 21km route is 8kms out and back to the start line and then a 2.5kms out and back again towards the other side of the start line.

A good content again and humbled with the results with only inconvenience of having to wait to hear my name announced 4-5 hours post the finish time. The organising team did a good job to keep the crowd engaged to a extent but the finishers of the run could hold it any longer I reckon this could be handled by hosting the prize distribution ceremony on multiple stages just like we witness the music festivals in a single arena with multiple artist playing at once without any interference from the other stage plays. I am sure the feedback has been well received and we hope for an even better outcome in the next edition. I thoroughly enjoyed the vibe and the route and is a good practice pad for road runners on this rolling route.

Quote for the day or a every thought:

Every weekend has a story, make yours a good one