Meet Sufiya, the ultrarunner running from Srinagar to Kanyakumari to spread the message of peace and equality

How far can you run in a single day? Most of us limp through a 5 km and call it quits. And there are people like Sufiya. An ultrarunner, she is on a journey from Srinagar to Kanyakumari and will cover 4,000 km. Hailing from Ajmer in Rajasthan, the 33-year-old is running 50 km per day, for the next three months.

So why run like the devil is chasing? Sufiya isn’t running to break or create a world record. The motive behind her run is HOPE, or, as she explains, Humanity, Oneness, Peace, and Equality. She will create awareness by speaking and interacting with people on the human impact on our environment and other charitable causes during her run.

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When She The People asked what was the inspiration behind her run, Sufiya said,

I believe that running is the best way to share our beliefs and emotions with people. Getting to explore new places, reaching out to new faces, seeing the world from close quarters also inspires me. Running for a cause makes it more impactful. If we can spread and share the meaningful changes we want to see in society, with a loving heart, I believe it will leave a mark. There is no better way to do that.

Sufiya began running two years ago in 2017, it was her fiancé Vikas, a cyclist, who inspired her to start running. Later, in 2018, she clinched the title of being the first and fastest female to walk on the Indian Golden Triangle (the route between Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur) on foot. Sufiya covered a total distance of 720 km in 16 days.

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Sharing her timeline on how she began running with The Bridge, Sufiya said,

It’s been two years since I started running to gain fitness. For the past ten years, I’ve been working in the aviation industry. It was very difficult for me to take care of my health and diet because of weekly rotation in my shifts at work. So, I used to run whenever I had the free time, to keep myself physically fit.

Sufiya quit her recent job as her company didn’t allow her to take four months off for the run.

And the run does not come cheap. To get the required aid, she has raised money through online crowdfunding site Ketto. But the amount raised so far covers less than 10 percent of her needs.

We want to complete this, we don’t want to stop because of money. Whatever resources we have, we will take them and start on the date we’ve decided, Sufiya told The Hindu.

Sufiya will be accompanied by her fiancé, who will be her coach, nutritionist, physiotherapist, and her driver.

But she isn’t alone; after her announcement of her run for HOPE, cycling communities across India have said that they would accompany her when she will be near their respective towns. The communities will also be offering her food and accommodation.

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