The runner Mumbai can rely on

Marathoner Suraj Chauhanrsquos morning begins when the city has briefly lulled into sleep Starting his day with prayers at 330 am a ritual he never skips Chauhan heads to the Mahalaxmi Racecourse for a 25km run On days when he isnrsquot running he is seen pushing others to stay on the trackHaving completed 121 marathons across the state and bagging 37 medals Chauhan has become the most sought after man amongst runners at the racecourse who seek his help with training and stretching Officers from the Mumbai Police force and their family members form the biggest chunk of the 47yearoldrsquos fan clubA native of Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh Chauhan arrived in the city as an 11yearold for a ldquoMumbai darshanrdquo but decided to stay back with his father Chiranjilal Chauhan a sanitation worker in a building at Nepean Sea Road After his fatherrsquos unexpected demise a year later the teenager briefly moved to be with his mother in Delhi only to return a few years later Passionate about martial arts he enrolled at a training centre in Mumbai Central while moonlighting as a sanitation worker to make ends meet His tryst with the running track began somewhere in his early 20s after he got a job as a domestic help at the house of an ad film director at Nepean Sea Road ldquoApart from doing the house chores I had to also take his pet dogs for a round twice a day at Mahalaxmi Racecourserdquo he says Chauhan says hersquod spend the mornings running despite his employer trying to prevent him from doing so ldquoOne day I participated in a foot race at Thane My employer happened to see me on the road and publicly humiliated me in front of everyonerdquo he saysSuraj Chauhan 47 who lives with his family in a chawl in Worli has completed 121 marathons and bagged 37 medalsAround this time he was spotted by Mumbai police officer Pradeep Lonandkar now a retired ACP at the racecourse ldquoHe suggested I run for marathonsrdquo he says Since Chauhan was unlettered Lonandkar filled up his form and thatrsquos how he ended up participating in his first 21km run the 2013 VasaiVirar Marathon and that too barefoot ldquoI stood second in the race and even received a cash prize this gave me a huge confidence boostrdquo Chauhan continued to chase his dreams running many more marathons while still working as a domestic help ldquoOne day after I won a medal a big photograph of mine got published in a newspaper My employer lost his cool and insulted me He was plain jealous of my fitness and ambitionrdquo That was the turning point in Chauhanrsquos life Tired of the insults he quit his job in 2014 and devoted all his time to training ldquoInitially I was very upset but soon I felt as if I had been set free from a prisonrdquo Chauhan gradually started reaching out to fellow runners at the racecourse offering to help them with training stretching physiotherapy acupressure and yoga He charges a small amount for his services At present he helps more than 30 to 40 people daily at the racecourseHelping an athlete stretchChauhan who lives with his family and three children in a chawl in Worli admits that not having a regular salary has come in the way of giving his family a good life ldquoI have no money to buy a flat Medals are good for recognition but they wonrsquot help you survive My children are growing and need separate rooms to study but I feel helpless as I cannot do anything for themrdquo he addsHe still runs barefoot as he cannot afford a good pair of shoes ldquoMy feet have now become like ironhelliprdquo he quips while admitting that he has suffered injuries in the past ldquoWhen I was running a marathon in Satara my foot got badly injured I was bleeding but I didnrsquot realise as my focus was on the running track Later I had to take bed rest for a monthrdquo he adds Retired ACP Lonandkar did offer him a pair of shoes for running a marathon ldquobut I cannot gain my original speed if I run with shoes onrdquo he says Speaking with midday Lonandkar says ldquoSuraj is an inspiration to many of us training at Mahalaxmi racecourse He has made his own careerrdquoHarshad Aherao superintendent of Thane Central Prison remembers injuring his knee in 2014 ldquoSuraj recommended some exercises which helped me heal I could run a marathon soon afterrdquo he recallsSenior IPS officer Krishna Prakash who has run more than 50 marathons with Chauhan says that he is not just his ldquorunning partnerrdquo but also his personal physiotherapist ldquoHe is not trained professionally or medically but he knows all the pressure points If you take a physio session with him your muscles feel relaxedrdquo Prakash adds ldquoHe has learnt and honed his skills despite being hit by crisis time and again He truly best represents the old adage lsquowhere there is a will there is a wayrsquordquo