I didn’t chase the medal, I chased the version of me who never quit

Finally, Hard Work Paid Off
SRT 2024 – 53 km Ultra Trail Marathon
(Sinhagad – Rajgad – Torna)

Some races test your body.
Some test your mind.
And then there are a few that test your soul.

SRT 2024 was that race for me.

After running the Satara Hill Half Marathon in September, something changed inside me. Within just a few months—by December—I found myself standing at the start line of my first Ultra: the legendary SRT 53 km trail through the Sahyadri mountains, covering Sinhagad, Rajgad, and Torna.

From Doubt to Determination

Last year, I had participated in the SRT Sinhagad–Rajgad (25 km) category. During training back then, my friend Sachin had casually said,

“You can do the SRT 53. Test your stamina and strength and decide.”

At the time, my strength felt insufficient. I chose the safer 25 km option and completed it in 5.5 hours. It was far from easy—but I finished.

This year, my goal was clear: 53 km.

Until September, I hadn’t started any serious training. But after Satara, the fire was lit. Around the same time, I received a message from my friend Chandrakant Kalange saying that SRT training had begun in Nanded City under Anant Kachare Sir. There was no second thought. I joined.

Training That Changed Everything

When I first joined, Anant Sir asked which category I would run.
I replied honestly,

“If training goes well, 53 km… otherwise 25 km.”
He just smiled.

The training was powerful and perfectly structured—hill runs, road runs, and strength workouts. A group of 15–20 runners trained daily, sometimes growing to 40–45. Yet, Sir could instantly judge who needed what—how much load, how much rest, where to push and where to protect.

The difference showed in every long run.

Once, during a practice run with Sachin from Vinzhar to Gunjavane, we covered the stretch in just 1 hour 15 minutes—nearly 45 minutes faster than my race timing from last year. That single moment, and Sachin’s encouraging pat, sealed my decision:

It had to be 53.

The Night Before

Eight days before the race, the focus shifted to rest, hydration, and diet. Sachin and Anant Sir shared detailed timing strategies—where to push, where to hold back, what to eat, what to avoid.

They said, “Sleep well before the race.”
But how could I?

The finish line, the medal, and the journey ahead kept flashing before my eyes. I finally fell asleep around 12:30–1:00 a.m.

Race Day Begins

At 5:00 a.m., I reached Golewadi. Warm-up, photos, wishes—and then silence.

At 6:00 a.m. sharp, after paying tribute to Shivaji Maharaj, the 100 km runners set off, followed by us—the 53 km warriors.

I reached Sinhagad Amruteshwar Temple in 1 hour 15 minutes—faster than planned. By 9:00 a.m., I reached Vinzhar—30 minutes earlier than last year.

When Adu suddenly called out,

“Shrihari Kaka, I’m here!”
His race had started five minutes after ours, and he came in with great energy. After that, I didn’t even feel proud of reaching half an hour earlier than last year. I realized that time didn’t matter anymore.

On the way at Margasni, I met Guru Anant, Vitthal Mauli, and Mahadev. They checked on me, made sure I stayed hydrated, gave me buttermilk and water, cheered me up, and sent me off with blessings.

I reached the Rajgad base at 10:45, though I was expected to reach by 10:15. The harsh sun and breaks at hydration points made me a little late. Last year, trail practice had helped me on the trails, but since I had done no road training, the final 4 km to the Rajgad base had completely drained me—I was seeing stars in broad daylight.

This time, instead of training only on trails, I trained regularly for three months under Anant Sir, and it made a huge difference.

The Mountains Test You

I refilled my water at the Rajgad base, did some light stretching, and started climbing Rajgad. As I climbed, the humidity in the air and the harsh sun were especially noticeable. Halfway up, I started getting cramps in my right thigh. Without stopping, I kept moving forward, taking ORS, salted water, and plain water. Ganesh Sir was right there with me.

I reached Padmavati Machi on Rajgad at 12:15 p.m. From Sadar, I picked up the pace a little—after crossing Suvela Machi, I had to reach the Bhutonde cutoff by 1:30 p.m. at the latest. On the way to Suvela, I met Guru Sachin—like a cool breeze in the middle of a wildfire.

After getting the stamp at Suvela, I immediately left. When I came back to Sadar, it was already 12:45. Without wasting time, I started again and reached Bhutonde Khind exactly at 1:30 p.m.—the last safe minute.

Only 4 hours 10 minutes remained.

There was no room for fear now—only forward.

Pain, Falls, and Fire

Only 4 hours and 10 minutes were left in my hands. Sachin had repeatedly said that only if Bhutonde was crossed within 7–7.5 hours could the race be completed in time. I was already a little late—now there was no option except to cover the next distance.

The flat stretch till almost Kachare Mama’s house I covered partly by walking and mostly by running.

While climbing the next ascent, I remembered Suresh Sir. In November 2021, this very climb had crushed me, and Suresh Sir had pushed me forward.

While climbing, I saw a runner lying on the path, shouting in pain. I asked him what happened—he said he had cramps and asked if I had water. I gave him water and my packet of salt, and then moved ahead.

While descending towards Vinzar and coming back towards Bhutonde, I had slipped once or twice. But later, while running downhill, my left ankle twisted and I fell. I got up and kept moving. My left ankle kept reminding me, “I am here, bro”

Around 3:30 p.m., I reached Rodatondi Buruj in tears. The heat while climbing before that had been unbearable. I climbed the Rodatondi ladder and came up. My hands and head were tingling, so I took a 5-minute break, relaxed a little, drank water, and continued.

The climb from Budhla Machi to Kokankada Gate was brutal. I was extremely irritated, muttering curses under my breath. Physical pain, the heat, and the clock ticking—everything felt overwhelming. I felt like the race was slipping out of my hands.

Every step whispered, “Stop.”
Every heartbeat screamed, “Finish.”

While descending Torna, the huge stone steps felt unbearable.On top of that, I had developed blisters on my feet, and every time my shoes and socks rubbed against them, the pain became unbearable. Still, during the entire trail, I changed my socks twice.

I started descending quickly. I called Aditya and told him that I would reach the bottom in 15–20 minutes—asked him to keep a bottle of water, my second pair of shoes, and a fresh pair of socks ready.

With 1 hour 45 minutes left, I reached Torna’s descent—blisters burning, legs shaking.

Pushing myself as much as I could, I ran to the Torna parking area. Anant Sir and our team, Powerful Ultra Runners, were standing there. Sir called out, “Come on, Shri, hurry up!”

I ran. He said, “Wait, let’s take a photo.” I replied, “There’s no time!” I hadn’t even noticed the volunteers—they wanted a picture. I allowed it quickly, Sir and the team asked if I needed anything, but I said no and moved on.

The concrete road was torture—the blisters screamed with every step. I reached Hotel Torna Vihar, changed my shoes, grabbed water, and started again. I had 1 hour and 5 minutes left and 9 kilometers to cover. That meant there was no option except a tempo run at a pace of 6 minutes per kilometer.

As soon as I changed my shoes, I felt slightly better—but what about the blisters? They kept hurting while running. I tried to increase my speed on flat roads and downhill sections and maintain pace, but every uphill ruined the math.

I asked runners how much distance was left. Everyone kept saying, “Only 2.5 kilometers!” For fifteen minutes, everyone said the same thing!

I finally thought, Enough, forget the time, just finish.

Just when I was ready to give up on time, Sachin appeared, hugged me tightly, and said:

“Shri, just a little more. Pull and finish strong.”

That moment changed everything. That kick of motivation sent me flying.

When I reached the U-turn, the volunteers said, “Don’t wait anywhere. Only the last 30 minutes remaining.” There were still 4.5 km to go.

The Finish

Without stopping, I ran at one steady tempo—straight to the finish line.

And finally…

11 hours 48 minutes.

I crossed the finish line.

Finally, hard work paid off. 😍

Now, I can proudly say:

I am an Ultra Runner. 😊

Gratitude

This journey was not mine alone.

To Anant Sir – for believing, guiding, and shaping me.

To Powerful Ultra Runners – for being my tribe.

To Sachin Madane – my strength when I was weak.

To my friends, family, and backup team – your support made this possible.

- Shrihari 😊