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Perfect outdoor escapes: Hit the trails, build a community
Summary
Trail running has gained pace over the last few years with many races in the Himalaya and the Western Ghats
In 2019, Kshitish Purohit and Nakul Butta pored over a digital map that showed two forest pockets of the Aravalli Biodiversity Park of south Delhi. They were located next to each other yet separated by about 2km. They wanted to find a way to link the two with a trail that they could run on. They started tentatively, but their efforts bore fruit at the end of a fulfilling day.
That run got them talking about similar projects in the many green spaces around Delhi. By September that year, they co-founded CapitalTrails to give runners and outdoors enthusiasts a taste of the sport of trail running.
Butta started spending time on trails in 2008-09 when he was working in the US. On his return to India in 2011, he found few practitioners of the sport. Like most runners, Delhi-based Purohit started out on the road before making a transition to the trails in 2018. Butta and Purhoit met during one such run and soon reached out to their networks, starting with group runs that featured three-four people. Today, about 35 runners show up every month for runs in the Aravalli Biodiversity Park and Asola Bhatti wildlife sanctuary.
“Delhi has the largest forest area of any city in India. The idea was to get more people interested in getting off the roads and on the trails, where they have a chance to appreciate the outdoors. And for those interested in racing, hand them a platform to hone their skills to take on bigger challenges," Purohit says.
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Trail running has shown gradual growth over the last few years in pockets of the country with plenty of races in the Himalaya and the Western Ghats, while a few runners like Kieren D’Souza and Sannat Sachdev have shifted base to the mountains to train and race internationally— Kieren moved from Bengaluru to Manali; Sannat from Jaipur to Bir.
“The standards are very high globally and we are just about catching up. In other countries, there are loads of local races and trail running clubs. So the barrier to entry is almost nil and a lot of people can try it out without any investment," Sachdev says.
While hitting the trails in the Sahyadri range around Pune in 2018, Dighvijay Jedhe first arrived at the idea of organising a race in the mountains he saw around him. He soon founded the Western Ghats Running Foundation and launched the SRT Ultra in 2018, a race approved by the International Trail Running Association. Some of the top Indian trail runners were a part of the 100km and 53km categories last year, while beginners got in their first 11km run.
Roshan Surve, a Mumbai-based trail runner, recalls being part of the first edition in 2018. He was a regular on the road, but had never heard of trail races. After that first race, he realised it was an extension of the hikes that he had been on in the past and he soon became a regular feature on the trail running circuit. Besides chasing his own races today, he has also been giving runners a taste of the sport as part of the Athlos Trail Running Club based in Mumbai,
“Those who are new to trails have a very competitive streak and tend to run fast. But at the beginning, the entire idea of being on the trails is to enjoy the experience. The awareness is still missing," he says.
In the past, Sachdev has hosted bootcamps in Bir for aspiring trail runners, taking them through the nitty-gritty of the sport. He believes building an aerobic base on roads is a good start, before putting in specific work on the trails.
“When it comes to training, all the quality work related to interval and tempo runs is done on non-technical trails or on roads. Trails are just for building the specific muscle memory and getting used to the terrain. It’s only when you take on harder races that you need to spend longer hours on technical trails," Sachdev says.
While running in the wilderness, safety becomes paramount. Sachdev recommends carrying enough water and food, besides extra layers and a whistle in case of an emergency and to keep wildlife at bay.
CapitalTrails conducts first aid courses annually, besides sessions on how to navigate trails, and fuel and hydrate during runs. They also organise monthly runs for members, based on time rather than distance. The second edition of their race series will be held across three forest belts of Delhi in September. They’ve recently introduced a walk category to get more people out on the trails.
Butta believes that though the number of races have gone up, most runners still frequent the roads and get on trails only for races. “We want CapitalTrails to be inclusive, just like it’s happening across the world. In the time ahead, we also want to collaborate with other communities to experience other trails around the country," Butta says. CapitalTrails also donates 30-40% of its membership fees to non-profits working in the field of conservation.
Over the last few years, the Western Ghats Running Foundation has been supporting local runners to promote the sport. They visit less developed areas and invite promising runners to participate in their races. They utilise a part of their event fees for nature conservation, cleanliness drives and assisting underprivileged communities.
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Through his podcast, Tracking Dirt, Purohit has touched upon various topics around trail running. In the future, CapitalTrails wants to create content to educate others about the sport. “The idea is to go beyond just organising races. We want to build a community and spread the entire ethos of trail running," Purohit says.
Communities such as these will go a long way in grooming the next generation of athletes.
“India has tremendous potential to host competitive trail races and develop high performance athletes to run in elite championships around the world," Jedhe says.
