Diabetes Couldn't Stop Them From Running

Hyderabad: In February 2007, at the young age of 30, Lakshminarasimhan Sampath (Nars) was first diagnosed with diabetes on his birthday. Definitely not the kind of present one would expect. For him, fitness meant ageing gracefully and being as independent as one can progress into the second half of the chess board. Nars, a Senior Vice-President of Statestreet, living currently in Singapore, remembers his first attempt at running 250 metres at Srinagar Colony, where he felt like he ran miles. What started more as a lifestyle reversal effort to manage diabetes, soon became his passion, and has now run all World Marathon Majors twice. When asked how he did it, he said, “Gamify it in small steps.” Since his first diagnosis, Nars has run countless marathons and returns to Hyderabad every year to run the Hyderabad Marathon, said a release.

After being on medication for over 15 years, at the point of being on the highest dosage of prescription oral medication, running became his cure. Running is a good exercise for lowering blood sugar levels, say endocrinologists, and for Nars, he was able to reverse diabetes after being on medication for over 15 years.

Running not only helps folks with Type II diabetes but also youngsters with Type I. Divya Akula, a 27-year-old runner, was first diagnosed in 2002 when she was just 6 years old. She started running in October 2022 and is now training for her maiden marathon in this edition of the Hyderabad Marathon. Running has helped her feel positive, confident and more assertive. She confesses that she is more active throughout the day, and has more energy to work and complete all her activities without breaking a sweat. Divya is on insulin and tracks her blood glucose using a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). When on a run, she always carries glucose bolts and an insulin pen. She is confident that these obstacles can’t stop her from pursuing her goals.

Recent advances in glucose monitoring technologies enabled these runners to be on CGM which has helped transform their relationship with running with diabetes, giving the confidence boost any athlete would need.

While there are advantages of running to manage diabetes, one must ensure they take good care and seek their healthcare provider’s advice.

One can rediscover their life beyond numbers by making minor changes to their everyday activities and adopting an active lifestyle. It's lovely to hear how much running has aided runners in controlling both the physical and psychological effects of their illnesses.