A voracious runner, Balaji has already experienced the high of completing the Comrades Marathon in 2017. A self-employed professional who runs with the Mogappair Fitness Circle (MFC) chapter of the Chennai Runners, Balaji started running only a few years ago, with his first 10Km event in the summer of 2014.  A little over a year after this, he completed his first Ultra, a tough 50Km hill/trail run organized by the Chennai Trekking Club in Jawadhu. Since then, he has completed multiple Ultra events and full marathons both as a runner and an official pacer.

Given that the flat roads of Chennai are not the most conducive for training for a hill run event like the Comrades, he puts in training 11+ hours of training weekly – a look at this Strava profile tells the story of the intensity and pace of his regimen.

Like many others, Balaji was bitten by the Comrades bug after his maiden experience and is looking to repeat the adventure once again this year.  As part of his preparation this year, he has already run the Vagamon and Yercaud Hills Ultramarathon.

He finds the OOTYULTRA particularly attractive for Comrades training as it will form his last major long run before the event. The elevation profile, distance and timing of the event fit his training schedule perfectly.

His passion for fitness extends to his family. His wife, Gayathri, is also an accomplished runner with the MFC group and his two young sons have taken up various sports activities recently.

Balaji trains under Coach Kay since 2015.

We look forward to his continued success in his running endeavours and wish him all the best for Comrades 2018.