My journey to the start line was far from traditional. After a freak accident at TMM 2025 derailed my sub-1:30 half marathon goal in Chandigarh, I was diagnosed with ITB Syndrome. Frustration, self-doubt, and the bitterness of missing out on races clouded my days. But then came the turning point, thanks to some wonderful people in my life.
Aravind and Harish from KTPO were my first lifelines, offering wisdom, support, and the priceless advice to “Make Insync your best friend” — a shift that changed everything. At InSync, Abey’s steady feedback and my physio Alex’s meticulous care stitched me back together, while strength training became my daily ritual and anchor. Through it all, I was never alone. Lattika, with her unwavering belief that I wouldn’t just return but come back stronger, kept my spirits high. Mandar and Smita’s relentless positivity lit up my darkest days, Raji’s daily check-ins kept me steady, and Mohit’s pragmatic pep talks convinced me the comeback was well within reach. I carry immense gratitude for this incredible bunch who made this journey possible.
Running resumed only in March. Coach Hugo’s calm confidence and his suggestion of “1 minute on, 1 minute off and we will see how it goes from there. But you’ll be back within a month” gave me the nudge I needed. As the saying goes - Coach knows best! Abey’s and Alex’s insight that I had to keep running to understand and work through the pain was invaluable. With Hugo adjusting my plans based on constant feedback, things slowly began to improve.
By late March, I was back to a weekly mileage of 50K. Mohit then suggested I try intervals at Kanteerava track—this made a huge difference. I even managed to squeeze in swimming lessons (a little late at 40 but not never!). Thanks to strength work and consistent training, I retained aerobic fitness. By early April, I was clocking 60-65K per week and rediscovering my speed. I half-joked that I felt like a character from Shaolin Soccer, regaining his lost Kung-Fu powers.
A family vacation to Sikkim provided unexpected altitude training for over a week. I returned feeling strong and confident. A killer kilometer-repeat session at Kanteerava confirmed I was ready. Hugo and I agreed I could now realistically aim for a 10K under 45 minutes. Manohar, another of Hugo’s mentees, and I were eyeing a 42:30 finish together.
Race week was a reduced mileage week (38K, minus the race day distance of course), but I kept up my strength sessions. I did a recce of the course again on the penultimate day (yes, a friend called me out for revising the 5th chapter, 4 times!) and incorporated hill repeats to prep my legs for the race’s most challenging sections.
Since it was a home race, there was no travel involved. The expo was buzzing as usual, with exciting new brands, experiences and a celebratory atmosphere. Runners from all over the country had gathered. I picked up my bib on Saturday and caught up with friends. While the goodie bag was fairly standard—bib, pins, some personal care samples, and a soft drink (Seriously Procam?)—I couldn’t help but hope for a little more from an event of this scale.
The day ended with my routine Anjaneya temple visit and the associated Puliogare prasadam, which proved to be the perfect source of carbs the evening before race day!
I woke up at 3 AM, did a 20-minute lower-body activation session, and took a quick shower to feel refreshed. Having slept by 8 PM the previous night, I managed a good 6 to 6.5 hours of rest. After my first banana, I drove to my pre-registered parking spot at One MG Mall and met up with Lattika at 4:30 AM. Together, we headed to the RSAOI entry gates to meet another friend for a quick warm-up.
The area was jam-packed—felt like Xerxes’ army had landed in Sparta! Space was a luxury, so we stuck to on-the-spot drills: POGOs, swings, and dynamic stretches. Thankfully, my pre-race activations at home gave me a head start.
By 5:20 AM, I had eaten a second banana. I felt a quiet calm, a rare blend of confidence and relief. Just making it to the start line injury-free after months of rehab was already a win. The corral management this year was exceptional—no jostling, no chaos. Hats off to Procam for fixing last year’s glitches.
I saw all kinds of faces - nervous, happy, thrilled, anxious, serious, carefree and more. The unifying theme was of course one of celebration. We deposited our bags at the baggage counter and proceeded towards the holding area.
At 6:10 AM, the gun went off. I crossed the start line 24-25 seconds later, elbow wrestling through the crowd (I confess I had not trained for this though I did possess remarkable abilities to weave through temple crowds). It took about 1.5 kilometers to settle into my stride. By the 3K mark, I had open space to run.
My strategy was straightforward: hold a steady 4:15 pace, aim for a 42:30 finish, and avoid injury. The course starts with a downhill, so I planned to go a bit faster in the first 2K to compensate for the Gold Souk uphill at 5K.
I trained to run without hydration over the last 8 months, but the humidity pushed me to grab water bottles at the 6-7K and 7-8K stretches to cool my head and neck.
Having done the course multiple times beforehand during my training runs, I was familiar with all its tricks—the slippery Gurdwara slope, the sneaky gradients towards Cubbon Road, and the dreaded KR Circle climb. The early kilometers went by fast: 4:08 and 4:05. That set the tone. At the 5K Gold Souk hill, my cheering squad from KTPO—Aravind, Smita, Aditi, Sangho, and Mandar—went ballistic. Their energy pushed me to run that stretch in 3:57 instead of the anticipated 4:30-4:40. That moment was pivotal.
At 6-7K, I eased up (4:11), conserving energy and took my Unived Espresso Capuccino gel. I managed to get a glimpse of the cheetah, Joshua Cheptegei sprinting towards the finish line across the road in the opposite turn. Thankfully, that did not add drama to my race as I resisted any temptation to turbocharge myself :). Turning towards Vidhan Soudha, I pushed again and hit 3:59. What goes down has to come up. And it does in a not so nice way at KR circle. The climb is sharp and the legs feel heavier than ever. A traffic cop who’d seen me train regularly cheered, “Sakkath aagidhe sir! Yenu yochne maadbedi” (You are going great Sir. Don’t think about anything)—it was just the boost I needed. I also began passing a lot of other seasoned runners whom I had looked up to since I started running 3 years ago. Divine feeling :) This 9th K was the toughest—KR Circle’s climb slowed me to 4:12. But the wolfpack’s howls brought me back to life. With 400 meters to go, it was just the magic potion I needed. Final Kilometer: 3:56.
Crossing the finish line was surreal. To go from not running between Jan and March to finishing strong in April was beyond anything I had imagined. The fear of re-injury faded. I met Chirag (another running buddy from KTPO) at the finish—he had a stellar race too—and later caught up with Manohar and Lattika, both equally surprised and thrilled.
I looked up the stats and realized what a controlled and smooth run this had been without having to die in the heat and humidity and immediately felt content! After all, I got way more than what I had bargained for.
Learning from the training and the race:
Injury and the subsequent lengthy lay off right towards the culmination of last season taught me lessons I’ll never forget. Strength training, mobility, and stretching are non-negotiables and I truly embraced them. Nutrition was already dialed in from last year, but adding structure through rehab made all the difference.
More than anything, the support from friends and coaches reminded me that running may be a solo sport, but comebacks are collective. A sincere thank you to all my run buddies for supporting me through the thin and raising the roof through the thick 🙂.
Also, practicing the route beforehand gave me an edge. On race day, it wasn’t unfamiliar terrain—it was HOME! And you usually do not put a foot wrong there.
Overall Experience of the Race:
This was only my second TCSW10K, but compared to 2024, it was a vast improvement. Corral management, hydration points, course design and even the baggage collection were spot on. And let’s not forget the chenda melam at KR Circle—absolutely electrifying.
The only problem I felt? - Breakfast (half ripe banana and a box full of packaged snacks)!. In the land of hot idlis, vadas, and masala dosas, this was blasphemous!!
What is next in training?
The half marathon season starts in September with the Bangalore Marathon, but until then, I’ve lined up three 10Ks: the Bangalore 10K in May, Runners Jatre in June, and the Bengaluru 10K Challenge in July. The goal? Keep improving, stay injury-free, and gear up for a strong HM block under Coach Hugo.
Mani is an amateur runner running for the past 2.5 years and still discovering about the sport everyday. He aspires to get better at strictly the Half Marathon distance, with a very recent personal best of 1.34 at Freshworks Chennai Marathon 2025. Mani works on New Initiatives at the tech startup, Gokwik in Bangalore.