Endurance Sports Have Become A Way Of Life

Dr Mareddy Narender Reddy has successfully completed the historic Athens Marathon, topping the list of 11 Indian participants  with a timing of 4 hours and 3 minutes. The Athens Marathon is recognised as the original marathon course and the same course has been used since the 1896 Olympics.

Sense of pride

“It’s any runner’s dream to participate in the Athens marathon. I am super glad that I completed it. Being part of this ancient, original marathon course is a privilege and an incredible feeling,” says Dr Narender Reddy.

“The vibes you get there are unbelievable. It’s thrilling to rub shoulders with athletes from diverse backgrounds,” he shares.
More than 25,000 runners across the world participated in the race, which started from the town of Marathon, the site of an ancient battle, and ended at the historic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. “But less than 15,000 completed the race,” says the 49- year-old Narender. “Uneven ground, 400 meters of hilly terrain and hot temperature were some of the challenges we faced. Every marathon needs basic preparation and I practised long-distance running and working out for 12 weeks. I also made sure that I stayed injury free during the prep.”

The Athens Marathon offered several takeaways for Narender. The interactions with athletes from around the world, running techniques, Greek culture, and knowledge-sharing helped him get a better insight into the world of marathons.

A historic marathon

Narender recently relocated to Germany and is presently working as a pharmaceutical research scientist. Before relocating, Narender worked as a senior scientist with a pharmaceutical R&D Company in Hyderabad. In fact, he participated in the iconic Berlin Marathon in September. His finish time of under 4 hours (3hours and 56 minutes) won him the entry into the Athens Marathon.

“In 2021 when I relocated to Germany, the extremely chilly weather made me take running more seriously. I started training with local running and cycling communities. The iconic Berlin Marathon is one of the six races in the Abbott World Marathon Majors series (Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago and New York being the others). I trained three times a week for 12 weeks before I participated in the Berlin Marathon,” he says.

The Berlin Marathon starts from the famous Brandenburg Gate (the wall that earlier separated East and West Germany) and ends at the equally well-known Tiergarten Park. “It’s a fantastic feeling being part of such a historic marathon,” Dr Narender asserts.

Hyderabad’s first Randonneur family

 His first tryst with endurance sports was in 2016 when he bought a cycle for his daughter. “After a gap of 20 years, I tried cycling along with her. But I found it difficult and couldn’t ride beyond 3 kms. I felt very embarrassed. It was then that I decided to improve my fitness and took up cycling seriously,” he shares.

Narender started participating in long-distance cycling. He later ventured into triathlon (swimming, cycling and running) and set records in endurance sports.

His infectious energy and achievements have inspired his family to pick up endurance sports too. His wife Soumya, an AGM-HR with a corporate firm, and elder daughter Anusha got into fitness and explored pedalling. Theirs was the first Randonneur family from Hyderabad to complete the 200-km long cycle ride from Hyderabad to Kamareddy and back in 12 hours and 40 minutes, in 2019.

“I felt very gratified; while participating alone and winning was one high, to be able to do it along with the whole family is altogether a different feeling. The fact that the family has pursued this collectively makes it all the more special,” says the scinetist.

Narender’s passion for endurance sports is unwavering because of the lifestyle changes it has brought in his life. “I was surprised how my lung capacity went up over a period of time. Cardiocirculatory work has become economical and oxygen uptake has improved,” he reports.

“With my family (wife and daughters Anusha and Bhavya) accompanying me in marathons in Athens and Germany, endurance sports have become a way of life. And it feels really amazing and fantastic to compete in back-to-back historic marathons,” Dr Narender says in conclusion.

Some of Narender's achievements

Hyderabad Marathon, 2018
OC Marathon, USA, 2019
Mumbai Marathon, 2020
Berlin Marathon, Sep 2023.
Athens Marathon, November 2023
London Edinburgh London (2022)
Paris–Brest–Paris cycling (2019)
Six times Super Randonneur (SR) with Hyderabad Randonneurs

I felt very gratified when we became the first Randonneur family from Hyderabad city to complete the 200-km long cycle ride from Hyderabad to Kamareddy and back in 12 hours and 40 minutes, in 2019. While participating alone and winning was one high, to be able to do it along with the whole family is altogether a different feeling. The fact that the family has pursued this collectively makes it all the more special.”

It’s any runner’s dream to participate in the Athens marathon. I am glad that I completed it. Being part of this ancient, original marathon course is a privilege and an incredible feeling. The vibes you get there are unbelievable. It’s thrilling to rub shoulders with athletes from diverse backgrounds