Among both veterans and first-time participants at the recently concluded Mumbai Marathon, the name Amit Sheth creates instant recognition. “Isn’t he the ultra marathoner?” being the most common. Yes, Amit Sheth, 42, is one of India’s most celebrated ultra marathoners, becoming the international ambassador at the toughest marathon in the world — the 90-km-long Comrades Marathon in South Africa — after his two stints there, in 2009 and 2010.
Amit, who first participated in the 42-km Mumbai Marathon in 2006, returned to the event this year as an official pacer — an honour reserved for the most experienced runners. He also celebrated the occasion with the release of his book, Dare To Run.
But Dare To Run isn’t just about running. It is a collection of breezy and articulate observations about running of course, but also, essentially, about life. Beyond its slightly flimsy cover, lies a collection of Sheth’s essays spanning from the time he first took up running after watching the 2005 Mumbai Standard Chartered Marathon to crossing the finish line of the ultra Comrades Marathon (any marathon where the distance exceeds 42 km is classified as an ultra marathon). The essays can be read for a chronological sequence of the author’s growth as a runner and individual, or they can be read at random, since each is a self-contained piece of writing, describing an event that led to certain learning. For instance, Sheth describes how he initially worried that a group of potential marathoners running up and down Mt. Mary Hill (an uphill colony road in Mumbai’s Bandra, a stone’s throw from Shah Rukh Khan’s Mannat) would present a strange sight for passers-by, but he slowly learned to concern himself only with the run and not appearances.
Sheth’s journey from novice to expert marathoner has plenty of lessons for readers, and though he “hard-sells” running, he never gets preachy. He simply presents a healthy, exhilarating proposition while outlining the physical as well as spiritual benefits of running. If staying fit and looking good aren’t motivation enough for you, then attaining a state of near enlightenment when the body is beyond exhaustion and the mind is focused only on the present may just be what induces you to put on your running shoes.
Sheth, in fact, dedicates an entire essay to understanding the nature of God, saying that his early morning jogs, especially the ones on mountain roads and along beaches, are ideal for introspecting about philosophical matters. He often finds himself contemplating, while sweating, if running, like life, should be about attaining certain goals or about having an enjoyable journey?
It is perhaps because of the spiritual bonus of running that some of Sheth’s essays include references to Indian and world mythology, quotes and verses from famous writers — there’s Osho and Shakespeare.
But that’s peripheral to what the book is really about — life and running. Sheth’s essays describe in detail the unique nature of each of the marathons he has participated in with his wife Neepa (the first Indian woman to have successfully completed the Comrades Marathon). So there’s the Bordeaux Marathon where people run in fancy dresses and sip wine instead of water at aid stations, and the lovely Florence and Dublin Marathons and, of course, the gruelling Comrades Marathon. What comes through in each description is the sense of camaraderie that the runners share and the sense of accomplishment that finishing a marathon brings with it.
Sheth’s words resonate because much of what he says is easy to identify with. For instance, Sheth describes how watching his brother-in-law run in the 2005 Mumbai Marathon made him determine to participate in it the next year — only to forget his resolve by that very afternoon! Another reflection that makes an impact is being able to find the time to follow a pursuit one is passionate about. Sheth provides the seemingly simple solution of “being disciplined” to accommodate conflicting demands on time. But “discipline” for a marathoner like Sheth means waking up at 4 am, following a strict diet and an even more stringent running programme. But the rigours of running are set-off by the joy at the finishing line.
It is, therefore, apt that the final chapters of Sheth’s book are triumphant ones — the essay on cancer patients at the Tata Memorial Hospital leaves you with the sense that Sheth is now going to run for more than himself — a fitting “end” to a long journey.
Reading Dare to Run in one go may blur the earlier essays as the later ones fill your thoughts. But try and recall what you read. You may just feel like getting off your comfortable couch/seat/bed and taking the first step, and then the next, and the… till you are running, till you are free.