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In an exclusive interaction with News18 Sports, Sufiya Sufi opens up about her journey from the aviation industry to ultra-running, sharing how she found her true calling and overcame countless challenges during her long-distance runs.
Running Beyond Limits – India’s Sufiya Sufi’s And Her Incredible Ultra-Running Journey
The thought of running for over 40 kilometres might be a daunting task for a normal individual. Why not add another twist to the tale of recovering at a hospital due to a collapsed lung to the mix and top it off with an expedition where you ran from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in just 87 days?
Meet Sufiya Sufi, an ultra-runner from Ajmer, Rajasthan, who holds five Guinness World Records. Without any sporting background to look back on, she is now one of India’s trailblazing athletes who looks to once again break her limits in her latest challenge, the SRT Trail Ultra Qualifier in Pune.
Her near-impossible feats such as completing a 4000 km run from Kashmir to Kanyakumari or the 6000km Golden Quadrilateral run (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata), have given her many achievements like being honoured by the Indian Army and the Star Believer Hero Award in 2019. But how did this journey begin?
In an exclusive interaction with News18 Sports, Sufiya Sufi shared her story of how she started her journey in the aviation industry, the switch to ultra-running where she ultimately found her calling and her challenges during the long-distance runs.
Sufiya was always ambitious. Having lost her father at the age of 16, her mother shouldered the responsibility of having to take care of Sufiya and her four siblings. Like most parents, they just wanted security for their child and wanted her to take up a government job, but Sufiya’s ambitions were elsewhere.
With Sufiya’s family finding a way to finance her education, she made the jump into the aviation industry, serving for almost 10 years. But all was not as it seemed.
“While working, we had different shifts and I used to work in the night shift mostly. I felt stuck in that routine. Sometimes I feel that if you don’t break out of that cycle then it can build a lot of frustration and maybe even depression. My health was also declining because of the odd shift timings,” she revealed.
As working odd hours took its toll, Sufiya had to find a way to make things right. Like most of those who work in corporate, she looked at some form of physical activity as the possible answer. The lack of barriers for entry made running the perfect discipline to go for as she began her journey in 2017 at a local park, with her first run being just three kilometers. But, the key to her rise to the top was her knack pushing herself beyond her limits continuously.
“At the time I just thought that I would work and to train I would run as well to keep myself fit, be relaxed, and also take care of my health. I then started participating in ultra-marathons in 2017 itself. The next year I began the long expeditions. My goals just kept going higher, so did my strength and confidence and that is how my journey began,” she explained.
She did not really set lofty targets for herself from the get-go. But perhaps this is what most professional athletes mean by ‘trusting the process,’ where you compete with yourself and go past one small barrier at a time and eventually, you are at a world-class level.
As she went past her limits, she found herself being able to complete a half-marathon (21 kilometres), which is when she began to take up coaching for the full marathon (42 kilometres). But a game-changing development that came into her life is her association with the popular sports brand, Under Armour.
During her budding career, the importance of having the right gear was something that was unknown to her. But upon understanding the same, she has been able to take her game even further realising the importance of proper equipment when it comes to high-endurance sports like ultra-running.
“It is just not that we have to finish or perform, when you are in the professional scene, the kind of gear you have can have a massive difference. Me particularly, I like Under Armour’s shoes which I have been using for some time now and it has helped me better my performance,” she said.
“In long-distance running, there are a lot of things that are not in your control like the terrain, weather and things like that. I love Under Armour’s gear and hope that in the future this association continues,” she added.
Kashmir To Kanyakumari In 87 Days
Despite her inexperience in executing runs on such a massive scale, her passion fueled her to overcome the numerous challenges that were in store for her.
“I was not so aware of how to go about things like hydration, the kind of gear to be used, or even recovery. It was all passion even though I did not have the right preparation but I had all the determination to go ahead with it,” she added.
After roughly 300+ kilometres into her journey, Sufiya suffered a massive setback as she picked up an infection and was hospitalized in the process in Punjab.
“When I reached Jalandhar my body had become infected and one of my lungs had collapsed. I came to know that because of dust and pollution, it had happened and I was hospitalized for five days. After that I had to prepare for the rest of the journey,” she explained.
“I always share this example. This is where you could say that my life and perspective changed completely. I feel that the human body is a miracle and you just need your mind to be tough and you can push yourself to new levels,” she added.
With the odds being stacked against her, it was an emotional time for Sufiya, as her medical team had advised that she stop the run due to health concerns. She had a lot riding on this run. From wanting to prove herself to her family, to shutting down her biggest trolls and most importantly coming through the challenge she set upon herself. But the final decision was on her and she was in a predicament between the mind and the body.
“My body was telling me that I could not do this but my mind felt the opposite. So I just prepared my mind and I told the doctor there who treated me very well that I would continue this journey,” she revealed.
Knowing her decision, the doctors tried what they could and asked her to go for a run and see how it went. Not many would expect much in this situation but her determination came through.
Straight from the hospital bed, I ran 44 kilometres that day and I told the doctor I was ready and asked him to give me the clearance,” she revealed.
The rest was history. Nothing seemed to stop her from her journey as she managed to hit her daily target of 50-55 kilometres and relied on her pre-workout pills during her recovery to get by and now has a newfound sense of invincibility, as she completed her run in 87 days.
“I just feel that when it comes to endurance it has a lot to do with the mind. I never take anything negative from that experience and I feel that even in my new expeditions, I faced the worst so I am confident that I can overcome any new challenges that I may come across,” she commented.
Around 32 Countries In 730 Days?
Her hunger to take on challenges has proven to be her biggest asset. She revealed her next big dream project: covering 40,000 kilometres around the globe through 32 countries. With several countries comes immigration or visa obstructions which is the main cause of delay, but the plan is in place for 2026, not that she needs that much time to prepare.
“If anyone told me all of this was sorted now, I would run without looking back,” she confidently claimed.
Representing India At SRT Trail Ultra Qualifier, Pune
Having done so many near-impossible feats, the SRT Trail Ultra Qualifier poses a different challenge. When it comes to trail running, the runner has to deal with having to adapt to the terrain on the fly. This could be multiple hills, water bodies and others. To add on top of this is the pressure of securing a qualifying spot. But Sufiya concluded by expressing her tried-and-tested method, which is to compete with oneself and not others and not burden yourself with the pressure.
“I feel that if you take pressure, it can wear you down. So my focus is that do it with everything you have, and keep competing with myself,” she concluded.
