Hundred Days: Of Hurdles, Hurrah, and Hope!

Do I have it in me?

For the seventh year in a row, I did the only thing a sane person wouldn't: I signed up for the HDOR virtual running challenge. For those of you who don't know, it's a hundred consecutive days of running at least 2km. My track record? The last six years, I've managed to run somewhere between 0 and 72 days, never consecutively. You'd think I'd learn, but here we are again, a glutton for punishment and a master of unfulfilled athletic dreams.

My family's reaction was less "Go get 'em, champ!" and more "Oh, bless your heart, you're doing this again?" SS wasn’t too pleased. Parents wondered if I needed a visit to the NIMHANS! I showed them my annoyance instead of understanding the concern in their questions. Trust me to refuse to accept sane advice.

My running journey started rather late, in my 40s. The first time I ever ran any distance was in 2014, right after a surgery on my right knee. The doctor had said a knee replacement might be on the horizon in about ten years. My thought process was, "Why mope over this? Instead, why can't I just wear the knee completely away if it needs to be replaced?" Thus began my journey. From struggling to run even a kilometer, I progressed to running half marathons and more, facing plenty of hurdles along the way.

Along with the many highs of running, there were a few spectacular lows. More knee issues, some foot-related, and a few ankle injuries. Yet, my desire to run didn't diminish (and the doctor's prediction, thankfully, didn't come true). Add another knee surgery in 2023, along with some back and shoulder issues, and it’s no wonder my folks weren’t thrilled with my decision to run for 100 straight days.

The very first day, my shiny new sports watch—a gift from a family friend—staged a mutiny. I connected it to Strava, ran my 2km, and the uploads were refused by the HDOR app. A flurry of emails and panicked re-reads of the user manual followed, but nothing worked. So, I did what any sane person would: I ran another 2km that same day after disconnecting the watch. My first day was a double, a sign of things to come.

Not many days into the challenge, my car was involved in an accident. A bike rider came straight towards us and rammed into the car. I barely missed getting injured as the bike hit the door on my side! My next hurdle came during a work trip to Agra. The lazy me thought I'd squeeze in time somewhere along the way. But when we had to drive down from Delhi late in the evening, I found myself in a predicament. I tried completing the walk at the airport, but Strava decided it wasn't a fan of the airport tarmac and refused to record a single meter, despite having a GPS lock. So there I was, a man on a mission, sprinting laps around a parking lot just as my colleagues' flight was landing. Nothing says 'professionalism' like sweating profusely outside an airport terminal.

The biker rammed into and flew over the car!

The next day in Agra, after a long work event, I found myself in a different kind of predicament. We finished the day at work past 9pm. The team, including my boss and several dignitaries, was waiting for me at dinner. My phone was buzzing with 15 missed calls. I, however, was on the run... literally. I'd found a street to log my kilometers, dodging stray dogs and hoping a car wouldn't turn me into a human speed bump. Sorry, a five-star meal can wait. My daily run, and the HDOR gods, could not.

The Delhi trip was a test of willpower. The heat was relentless, the humidity was a soggy blanket, and I had the worst stomach bug of my life. A dozen bathroom breaks later, I can confidently say I was running on empty, but I was still running. 

Gritting the teeth and bearing!

Then, the Bengaluru rains arrived. On some days, I was completely drenched and soaked to the bone. A few other days, I walked gingerly with an umbrella, hoping not to slip and fall and become a cautionary tale for runners everywhere. Plus, one had to be wary of creepy-crawlies!

A giant forest scorpion in my path!

My life became a comical series of excuses and desperate maneuvers. On a trip to Vellore for a wedding, after the rites lasted late into the night, I went for my walk and run, tired body notwithstanding. Not a morning person, I often found myself out after dark. This meant facing street dogs and their unwavering aversion to anyone running in their territory. Over time, I've become a dog lover (thanks to adopting one back in 2013), and yet, I carried a small stick with me as the campus is usually deserted late at night.

As the days stacked up, I realized it wasn't enough to simply run. To keep my aging body from staging a full-scale revolt, I had to add in strength training. My evenings became a glamorous routine of foam rolling and groaning like an old man trying to get off a couch. My old injuries flared up, leaving me so sore some nights that I struggled to get any sleep. Yet, I persisted.

The biggest hurdle to the challenge came when my uncle’s health deteriorated, and we all had to rush to our hometown. Squeezing time between the hospital and home wasn't easy. Soon, he passed away (a relief, as he had been ill for a long time), making it even more of a challenge to complete the run on that day. As a pallbearer, I was not supposed to step out alone. But I had a challenge to finish. So, I did what any athlete-in-mourning would do: I snuck away to log my miles, unbeknownst to anyone. It was possibly the most discreet, and morbidly-driven, run of my life.

When the challenge began, my only goal was to complete it, come what may. As the days progressed, I got greedy. I wanted to average at least 4km a day. Then I wanted the time to be less than 8:45 min/km. The biggest of all? I wanted to finish in the Top 1000. This meant averaging more than 5km a day. In my best running years, I had not run 1000km, and now I was trying to complete over 500km in 100 days! What would happen to my fragile joints?

The 100th day of the challenge fell on my significant other’s birthday. I’d planned a surprise party for SS, which meant I was a little, shall we say, pre-occupied. So, with guests arriving and cake on the table, I laced up my shoes and ran. I was greeted with cheers, not for finishing, but for finally coming back inside and not making everyone wait for a birthday toast.

As friends wait impatiently for my return!

The boy and his cake get the due at last!

The biggest support came from the one who was most concerned; my significant other. Many days, SS joined me, even though it was difficult to keep pace. On days we weren’t together, there would be a message waiting for me: “Have you done your quota for the day?” My parents weren’t far behind. They’d ask about hydration, stretches, and fatigue. They wouldn’t stop me from stepping out to finish my run, even at 11 at night on some days—an absolute rarity!

Support of SS has been the biggest strength!

The challenge started on April 26, 2025, and finished on August 3, 2025. My first day’s run was a mere 2.1km. By the time I completed it—against all odds, most of them personal and physical—I had run 603km. I ran 10k in a day on nine separate occasions and 5k on 68 days. And, yes, I finished within the Top 1000, at 784th! 

I am not competitive. Throw a gauntlet at me, and I will most possibly walk away. And yet, I had done something I had never done before. I’ll carry this pride for quite a few days to come. I may not do this challenge again, but one never knows. For someone who hadn’t run a 10k (but for one occasion) after the COVID days, to do it nine times in 100 days is beyond ecstasy. The timings may be awful, but I'll take that any day over not being able to run at all.

I have one more goal: to run a full marathon again before I hang up my running shoes. I do not know if I have it in me. But I can surely hope, right?

Goal Accomplished!

Is it a bird….