Kyagar (Ladakh): Long-distance runner Sufiya Sufi is brimming with confidence as she prepares to defend her Ladakh Silk Route Ultra Marathon title, with her sights set on winning this year’s race in record time.
A five-time Guinness World Records holder in long-distance running, Sufi is upbeat about her chances and says her familiarity with Ladakh gives her added confidence ahead of the race.
Her Guinness records include an ultra run from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 2019, the 6,000-km Golden Quadrilateral challenge in 2020, three runs from Manali to Leh, a run across Qatar and, most recently, a 5,000-km run from Kanyakumari to the Karakoram Pass.
“Ladakh is very close to my heart because it’s been more than five years I’m coming to Ladakh, doing my own running challenges and it’s been three years I’m doing Silk Route Ultra and last year I was a winner. I am very optimistic and eager to defend my title. This time I will go with a record timing,” Sufi told PTI here on Thursday.
Sufi said she decided to participate despite being advised against taking on ultra-long distances so frequently.
“I recently did 5000 Kms from Kanyakumari to Karakoram Pass and after that I was advised that I shouldn’t run so much. But Ladakh is very close to my heart so I do not want to miss this chance. And it will be my third time at SRU and I’m so much excited. It’s like festival for me. And the vibes this marathon gives you, it means a lot,” she said.
Recalling how she took up long-distance running, Sufi said she began in 2017 while working at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi alongside her husband.
“I started running in 2017. I used to work at the Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi, me and my husband, we used to work together. And there was a time when I felt like my life became like robotic. That you go to the airport and then go to the room and then, I mean, I was not feeling that I’m living my life.
“I wanted to come out from the daily routine and I was looking for an option. I still remember that before 2017 I did not run even 100 meters. So, I have no sports background,” she recalled.
Sufi said frustration and the pressure of her routine eventually pushed her towards running, which became an outlet for her.
“Actually, nobody told me but frustration pushed me a lot. There was a lot of frustration in my mind and I was thinking that I should, I must come out from this daily routine,” she said.
“Because I was feeling so exhausted, so suffocated and I was looking for an option. So, that I can come out from the daily routine and because there were lot of night shift and my health was going terribly down. So, I started with three kilometers in a park, in a community park.
“…And then I started participating in marathons, ultra marathons and… three kilometers after that, I did 21 half marathon in same year. And then in 2018, I did Golden Triangle, Delhi, Jaipur, Agra. Yes, I finished it. I won many times.”
Sufi also revealed her long-term dream of running around the world in a 30,000-km circumnavigation challenge.
“There is a dream project and it’s run around the world, circumnavigation. And the distance is 30,000 km. I hope that I will start soon. …it’s my dream project, that will complete the entire diameter,” she signed off with a smile.
