After a 110-km run cutting through the slippery and rocky stretch of the Western Ghats in 14 hours with no break, Athreya Chidambi has shown he is one of the city's emerging fitness freaks. The 38-year-old graphic designer from Bengaluru was the winner of Karnataka's one-of-its-kind ultra-marathon that recently brought together 200 runners from across the world in support of a sustainable way of growing coffee.
Banking on a couple of water cans and a few bananas, Athreya covered six coffee estates near Kemmanagundi in Chikkama galuru district of Malnad region. Athreya, a passionate runner for 10 years, said: "The stretch being a winding trail through rocks, Malnad Ultra Marathon was different. It wasn't the same smooth road we usually run on. Beautiful coffee estates and a well-maintained ecosystem were major attractions. Reaching the final summit and enjoying a bird's eye view of Bhadra wildlife sanctuary was all I could dream of."
An initiative of Coffee Day Enterprises Limited, in association with Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management (GIREM), the event provided an opportunity to runners from India, Singapore, Japan, West Asia and the UK to test their endurance levels. The marathon had 50km, 80km and 110km categories.
Two other Bengalureans - Sampath Kumar and Dharmen dra D - were declared winners of 80km and 50km, respectively .While Sampath crossed the finishing line in 8 hours 15 minutes, Dharmendra made it in 5 hours 19 minutes.
Bidisha Nagaraj, group president marketing at Coffee Day , said: "We stand for creating a healthy ecosystem that allows our business to thrive. This aspect is in conjunction with this event-- a true test of an individual's overall health and endurance. It will not only bring runners close to nature, it's also a platform to create awareness on the need to adopt sustainable practices in coffee cultivation.This ultra-marathon has been accepted as a qualifier for the single-stage mountain ultramarathon - Ultra-Trail du MontBlanc (UTMB)."
Banking on a couple of water cans and a few bananas, Athreya covered six coffee estates near Kemmanagundi in Chikkama galuru district of Malnad region. Athreya, a passionate runner for 10 years, said: "The stretch being a winding trail through rocks, Malnad Ultra Marathon was different. It wasn't the same smooth road we usually run on. Beautiful coffee estates and a well-maintained ecosystem were major attractions. Reaching the final summit and enjoying a bird's eye view of Bhadra wildlife sanctuary was all I could dream of."
An initiative of Coffee Day Enterprises Limited, in association with Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management (GIREM), the event provided an opportunity to runners from India, Singapore, Japan, West Asia and the UK to test their endurance levels. The marathon had 50km, 80km and 110km categories.
Two other Bengalureans - Sampath Kumar and Dharmen dra D - were declared winners of 80km and 50km, respectively .While Sampath crossed the finishing line in 8 hours 15 minutes, Dharmendra made it in 5 hours 19 minutes.
Bidisha Nagaraj, group president marketing at Coffee Day , said: "We stand for creating a healthy ecosystem that allows our business to thrive. This aspect is in conjunction with this event-- a true test of an individual's overall health and endurance. It will not only bring runners close to nature, it's also a platform to create awareness on the need to adopt sustainable practices in coffee cultivation.This ultra-marathon has been accepted as a qualifier for the single-stage mountain ultramarathon - Ultra-Trail du MontBlanc (UTMB)."