Vishal Sahni

Vishal Sahni

Long-distance running is only a recent addition to my life. I grew up without any focus or encouragement to pursue athletic activities, and it was not until I pledged a fraternity that I was forced to do something remotely physical. During the next six years I would run recreationally, running to stay in shape – trying to log a few miles once or twice a week. Like many people who find lifting and aerobic exercise repetitive and boring, I was not very committed to it. Running to stay in shape wasn’t fun, but I wondered if running with a specific goal, with a purpose, might provide the extra motivation I needed. So, 3 years ago I signed up for my first race, the Chicago Marathon. I could have signed up for a 10k or half, but I wanted a goal that would require my devotion to training. Through my training I discovered my love for long-distance running, especially the mental strength/focus it requires…something that had been lacking in my “running to stay in shape” attitude. Boy was it fun, and I was good at it too! For someone who had been focused on academics and my professional endeavors all my life, finally I could thrive in an athletic activity. I ran a sub-3:30 at Chicago, and was immediately determined to qualify for the prestigious Boston Marathon. In the next year I ran 6 marathons all over the world, from Oregon to Sweden, finally achieving that sub-3:10 qualifying time in Houston.

To feed my new passion for long-distance running, I tried to get my hands on any book with insight on the sport. I purchased a book on “ultrarunning,” without even knowing what it was – I thought it was just a bizarre (albeit clever) way of describing marathons! This book talked about running distances of 50 and even 100 miles, and also about the amazing culture behind it. I was intrigued by the personal accounts of how beautiful the trails were, the stories of incredible self-growth and self-realization, and the humbleness and friendliness of both runners and volunteers at these “ultramarathons.” Sign me up! So, after running Boston, I ran a few trail marathons in preparation for my first ultra, the Le Grizz 50-miler in Montana. What a great introduction to ultras…great people, gorgeous views, lots of wildlife, and everyone there loved running. It wasn’t a hyped up event…it was just about a hundred people embarking on a day-long adventure together, where I met genuinely nice people both at aid stations and while running!! Sign me up again!!

Last year I gave into some peer pressure and ran my first 100, the Kettle Moraine 100-miler. I didn't know if I would ever be truly ready to tackle this distance, but my enthusiasm for ultrarunning was too great at the time to shy away. What a great adventure that was. Nothing can truly prepare you for the experience of running, and completing a "hundo." The highs and lows are not only much more extreme and frequent than those in a marathon, but they each last as long as a marathon too! Running forest trails through the day and night, the tremendous level of camaraderie amongst runners and volunteers, and finding a level of devotion and resolve in yourself that you always had but never tapped into…incredible!  I had a sub-24 hour finish at Kettle and would run another 100-miler, the Superior Sawtooth 100, three months later and finish 6th overall.

So, since I’ve started long-distance running three years ago, I have run 14 marathons, two 50-milers, and two 100-milers. This year is a busy one. Two weeks before the R2R2R, I'm pacing a friend for the last 40 miles of his first hundo, and 5 days before the R2R2R I'm running the Boston Marathon again. Later this year I'm running two of the toughest and most scenic 100s in the country -- the Bighorn Trail 100 in WY and the Wasatch Front 100 in UT. My attitude is no longer a “run to stay in shape” but more of a “stay in shape to run.” Most importantly, I have found an outlet that makes me truly happy, and made some amazing friends along the way.