Bangalore Ultra 2009 – the ringside view

There is a vision I have of the Ultra starts of the last few years. When the call to ‘go’ is announced… it’s still dark… you have the longest distance runners all taking off and when you look out at the start of the trail you can see this line of 75k and 100k runners at a slow and steady jog… that’s all you can see until the horizon… the endurance athletes pounding the dirt trail. I don’t know about you, but it never fails to give me goosebumps.

This year, the goose bumps didn’t end. Bangalore Ultra 2009 saw an unprecedented turn-out, with 600+ registered runners. The weather gods worked really well with RFL to give us the best day – cloud cover, light breezes and occasional drizzles throughout the day. And of course, several records were broken.

Let’s start with RFL’s current superstar – Yasuhiro Honda. 100k in 10:23:39. This is the fastest 100k in India. This amazing piece of Japanese machinery took everyone by surprise. Steady pace and a beatific smile through the day… he was unfazed until the end. And even when he finished he didn’t collapse. He just trotted over to the baggage counter, collected his stuff and trotted off to take a shower. And then was ready to talk to the press! Just amazing!

A stupendous show of grit and determination from the other 100k runners – we had 7 finishers out of the 18 that registered. The feeling of having achieved a HUGE milestone was so evident on all their expressions, right from Torsten and Athreya all the way until Melvin and Sunil finished. This will be a day that they will all remember.

This year’s Ultra also saw a huge number of people who travelled to Bangalore just for the event. There were people from Singapore, the US, Japan, France and all over India.

Sarah Oliphant, a 14 year old, ran a 50k with her dad, as part of her quest to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest person to run a marathon in every continent. This was her 5th marathon event. She’s on to Chile next and then Antarctica in 2010. (There’s more about her in another article in the newsletter).

A report on the Ultra would not be complete without a special mention of the Jayanagar Jaguars and their brand ambassador - Suresh Pathi. With 70 people from this group taking part in the Ultra, across various distances, they were more than 10% of the entire runners. Amazing enthusiasm and commitment from this South Bangalore lot – they have done such a great job of encouraging each other and staying motivated over the last few months.

This year we introduced a 12.5k category to introduce more runners to the difficult prospect of trail running. We had such an amazing response. Hundreds of runners, attempting what would have been the longest run of their lives. We’re pretty sure several of them are hooked and are now runners for life.

As part of the RFL team, it was an absolute delight to be there at the event. The 17 or 18 hours of the ringside view will always be special. On, on to Ultra 2010!


Click here to check out the stars at Bangalore Ultra 09