Tata Ultra 2025 - 50K 🏃🏻♂️
Thoughts from the midnight running of the Tata Ultra 50K
Signing up for a midnight 50K run for the second time seemed like a great idea—until race day arrived. As I packed my bags, a familiar thought crept in: Why did I sign up for this?
Running in a different city, sleeping in hotels, and eating outside food make me anxious before a race. The lack of familiarity adds an extra layer of mental stress—something I’ve learned to deal with but never quite shake off. But this time, I stayed calm. I told myself: I’ve done this before, now let’s go do it again.
Despite the pre-race jitters, I knew I would cherish this experience—Tata Ultra is one of the best road ultras, and I was grateful to be part of it again.
What followed was one of the most peaceful runs I’ve ever had. I finished in 5h 23m, feeling strong, happy, and thankful for the journey.
Thoughts from the Race
Staying Calm Before the Storm
Despite doubts about my elevation training, I stayed relaxed throughout my travels to Pune and Lonavala. Coming back to Pune is always emotional, but I kept my focus. In previous races, travel stress would weigh on me, but this time, I trusted the work I had put in throughout the year. Consistency in training is the best antidote to race-day nerves.
The Little Things Matter: Small decisions make a big difference. I avoided past mistakes—no vada pav or roadside omelet pav for dinner this time. But I did have coffee before the race—something I don’t usually do. Turns out, coffee at midnight before a long run? Bad idea. Lesson learned.
Mind Over Course: A new race route always brings uncertainty. Different terrain, unexpected climbs, unfamiliar markers—it all adds up. But I reminded myself: I’ve done this before, and I’m a better runner than last year. That mindset helped me stay steady and focus on my rhythm rather than the unpredictability of the course.
The Ego Trap: At 30K, a familiar face passed me, and my ego kicked in. I pushed harder, trying to race him. But something felt off—I wasn’t running my race. I reset my focus and let go of external competition. Initially, I had aimed to beat my last season’s time of 5:43, but I reassessed and went for a sub-5:30 finish instead. I crossed the line at 5:23, which felt like a real win.
Fear Fades with Experience: Last year, downhills intimidated me. This time, I embraced them. I told myself, If I fall, so be it—but I won’t let fear hold me back. I ran the long descents with confidence and pushed my pace. That decision played a key role in helping me hit my goal time.
Gratitude Fuels Endurance: When the miles got tough, I stayed hydrated, kept pushing, and found myself silently thanking my father and Ramana Maharshi. Gratitude has a way of grounding you, even in the most physically exhausting moments. I kept repeating my favorite mantra:
One kilometer at a time.
I started easy, let my body set the pace, and after 40K, I pushed hard to hit my goal time. But more than the finish time, this race reinforced an important truth:
Training hard builds confidence. Self-doubt fades when you show up and do the work.
And that lesson applies far beyond running—to my work, my challenges, and the road ahead.