Hell, she ran through it!
Vikrant Parmar
It is like going through hell, literally. No wonder it is aptly named the Hell Race. Imagine running from Manali to Rohtang Pass to end at the Sissu valley — just a matter of 84 km! Ordinarily, even in a vehicle it is a daunting task as mountain sickness besets most, but Chandigarh-based Dr Abhilasha Rai ran all the way.
“It’s a mental game, the body listens once the mind is trained. It is all about conditioning and the rest is a cinch. The attitude matters; if you set your mind on anything you can surely achieve it. Running is a mental thing,” she says. Really? For a non-runner, sounds like a mountain to climb. In fact, she is the one who actually climbed it, rather ran from Manali and gained an elevation of 2,000 metres up to Rohtang pass, and then descended to Sissu in Lahaul Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, all in matter of 14 hours 20 minutes!
“Well, the race began at 10 pm from Manali on June 15. The first major challenge was managing the night run amid all the traffic, with a headlight tied to the head, and growing chill with each kilometre of the ascent. We were 25 of us at the start, and by the time I crossed the 15 km mark I was all alone. Many of the known runners could not manage the altitude, the clime. From there, till the end it was me against me; my will against all the odds. Thankfully, I aced the challenge and was the first runner-up in the women’s category,” she beams. Notably, the race was won by Suneri from Hyderabad.
Temperature varied from the very cold to the harsh sun. “It was extremely tough as the shoes and socks got wet; jackets had to be donned, then removed and tied to the waist as the temperature rose in the morning. The support staff was indeed excellent, as all safety measures and amenities required along the way were in place,” she shares.
Hailing from an Army background, Abhilasha was always sporty, skating and swimming being her prime fitness routines, but she was not quite into running. Her first run was when she was 43! “It was in Pune where I took it up as a challenge to run but within the first 200 mt, I felt I was going through hell. Five kilometres seemed a long haul, but something inside me said let’s go for it. From then on running has been a way of life.”
From thereon began a journey of sorts — 5 km became 10, then 20, then 42 and ultimately this ultramarathon, where she ran 84 km! Fitness indeed is a way of life for her, “I am a non-vegetarian and keep a balanced diet, although some party nights are cheat days. However, I go to the gym on a regular basis and divide each day of the week into different schedules. Sunday is meant for the long runs, where I go the distance and push my limits. I take it a bit easy on Mondays.”
Remarkably, she has had no formal coaching in running, “Just a few tips from fellow runners and experts in the field.” She credits her husband, a doctor in the Army, and kids for her feat, “Without their support, all this would not have been possible.”
Coming up next for her is the Khardung La Challenge, a 74 km run in Ladakh, beginning September 7. “This race was a build up for that; I wanted a feel of the distance and the altitude,” she says. Anyone stopping her?
