Mumbai: The year 2014 was a painful year for sportsperson and marathon runner Dnyaneshwar Tidke. A few months before he could participate in the Boston Marathon, he met with a road accident, which foiled his plans to compete in the world’s oldest annual marathon event. The accident threatened to take away what he loved the most — running.
“My training stopped immediately. But I refused to give up. I started training a month before the marathon,” says Dnyaneshwar.
Despite the crisis, he managed to participate in the Boston Marathon for the second time. Talking about the experience, he says, “The weather conditions are a plus. The roads are never empty on the route and the crowds cheer you on.”
It was at the Mumbai Marathon that Dnyaneshwar decided to give running a try. He previously witnessed the marathon as a spectator, and even failed in his initial attempts. He recalls, “I completed it for the first time in 2007 after a few unsuccessful attempts. The route is very good and challenging.”
Dnyaneshwar, who works as an assistant production manager in a chemical company, needs no motivation to run. He says, “I enjoy running. That is my inspiration. I attempt to better the target timings I set for myself.”
The marathoner, since his college days, only cared about fitness and never thought about the marathon. “I was keen on fitness since my college days. I used to focus on strength exercises. I felt running for a marathon was a real challenge. Initially, it was very tough to train for one. Sometimes I exerted myself too much. Once I started training under Savio D’Souza (his coach), I learnt the right training technique.”
The marathon runner runs up to six days a week, with a target of anywhere between 5K or 20K. He says, “In each run, I focus fitness on various parts like ankle, calves, strength and cardio. I run 120-130 kms per week at peak training, during normal training I run up to 100 kms.”
While Dnyaneshwar says it is a privilege to have joined the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Usain Bolt after Puma, the Germany-based sports equipment manufacturer offered him a helping hand, he says his role model is his coach. “My role model is my coach Savio. Apart from him, Haile Gebrselassie, the Ethiopian is also someone I look up to. His achievements are an inspiration.”
