Ultrarunning
How SRT Ultra became an important stop in India’s trailrunning calendar
Race organizer Dighvijay Jedhe describes what inspired him to start the ultra running event, and how it grew to have a unique 100-km category.
About six years ago, Dighvijay Jedhe had a brainwave during a run from Katraj to Sinhagad on the outskirts of Pune. He surveyed the vast Sahyadri landscape in front of him, scoping out the forts of Sinhagad, Rajgad and Torna. In the next moment, he thought of a trail race that linked up the three historic landmarks held by the Maratha king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a few hundred years ago.
“My ancestors, Veer Kanhoji Jedhe and his five sons, served under Shivaji Maharaj when he laid the foundations of his vast empire. The intent was to highlight the glorious history of this gallant ruler through the global sport of mountain and trail running. Those were the foundations of this adventurous race,” Dighvijay says.
Over six editions since the first in 2018, the SRT Ultra has evolved into a cherished trail running experience that challenges the best athletes of the country. It presents runners with the ultimate test of endurance on technical trails, as they wind their way across yawning valleys and dense forests, before scrambling up steep slopes to swing by the forts en route.
For the first five years, the longest category was the 53km race where runners crossed the three forts, Sinhagad, Rajgad and Torna. The 53km race has an elevation gain of over 2,320 metres and a cutoff time of 12 hours. It was organised under the aegis of the Western Ghats Running Foundation and in collaboration with Maharashtra’s Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Maharashtra Forest Department, Pune Rural Police and Directorate of Tourism Maharashtra.
“I wanted the SRT Ultra to be on par with other top races in the world such as the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), the Western States Endurance Run and the Hardrock 100. The numbers have constantly increased over the years, since a lot of runners pick this race before beginning their taper phase for the Tata Mumbai Marathon. This was envisioned to be a celebration of mountains and trails and an opportunity to bring together the running community,” Dighvijay says.
SRT Ultra 2023
© SRT Ultra
Bigger and better
After five successful editions, including the biggest in 2021 that saw over 1,500 runners, Dighvijay had an ace up his sleeve. He wanted to raise the bar for runners by throwing them a brand new challenge in the form of a 100km race called the SRTL 100 in December 2023. It boasted an elevation gain of 3,870 metres and a daunting cutoff time of 24 hours. He looked to invite the best India runners, hoping to set the standard for a world class race in the future.
The initial thought was to create a loop that would bring runners back to the starting point after they had covered 53km until Torna. He eventually settled on a route that would lead to Lingana and the Railing Plateau, before heading back to Torna and onward to the finish. It was a mouthwatering prospect for any trail runner.
“This race would extend into the night, so the challenges were wholly different. They would have to negotiate very tricky technical sections in the dark and big drops if they were to go off route. And you have to remember that this is all wild, open forest terrain,” he says.
SRT Ultra 2023
© SRT Ultra
Runner support
When registration for SRT Ultra was opened in mid-2023, they received over a hundred entries for the 100km race and 930 runners across all categories.
Dighvijay instantly knew he had a winner on hand when runners came from 55 cities and seven different countries, including France and Norway. There was healthy participation from groups such as Spine Sprinters, Deccan Runners, Amdavad Distance Runners, Shivneri Runners, Rajgad Runners, and Blue Brigade. Around 700 dedicated volunteers stepped up to lend a hand for everything from the race recce to setting up aid stations and laying out reflective radium markers all along the route to ensure runners had ease in navigation.
“Nobody got lost, which tells you a lot about how much work went into setting up this race. It’s a huge effort in terms of human power but that is exactly what makes it so special. Our volunteers hiked up mountains, camped in the wild, cooked their own meals, and put in shifts to ensure that all the focus was on racing,” he says.
According to Dighvijay, Western Ghats Running Foundation provided runners support of all kinds in the lead-up to the race. Yogesh Sanap collaborated with SRT Ultra to offer India’s first Athlete Training Program for trail running. Shyamal Mondal led strength and core workouts, Chaitanya Velhal conducted a session on the mindset to tackle this race, Vijay Gaikwad advised them on the race day gear, and Dr Swati Chandrashekhar advised on diet and nutrition.
Over three months, Yogesh handed out daily trail running tips to the participants, giving them something to think about and come back with follow-up questions. “We focused on a specialised running plan for a total of 14 weeks, organised weekend group runs on trails, and provided unique tips and techniques to improve running form, pace, posture and recovery,” Yogesh says.
Dr Swati says, “First we took diet-related questions from the participants and answered them holistically. Then we strategically placed aid stations for the race. For instance, consuming Red Bull towards the fag end of the race does a fabulous job for runners when their glycogen levels drop. When it came to first time users, my recommendation was to consume Red Bull with water, understand how the body reacts to the caffeine load and how the race pans out, before deciding on what suited the body best for future runs.”
SRT Ultra 2023
© SRT Ultra
Returning runners
Dighvijay was clear that he wanted the best trail runners in the country to have a go at his latest offering. He started out by inviting the podium finishers from last year’s 53km category – Hemant Limboo, Som Bahadur Thami and Dev Chaudhary.
“In 2022, we had targeted a finish in five-and-half hours and we pulled it off in about the same time. The organisation was very professional with well-marked trails and plenty of hydration points, which allowed my runners to be carefree and give their best shot. That result gave us confidence to attempt the 100km in 2023,” says Mongia Khambachey, who has been coaching Hemant Limboo and Som Bahadur for the last three years.
“The initial climb to Sinhagad is scenic and sets the tone for the rest of the race. There are some beautiful vistas to behold while at the same time, the entire route is quite challenging,” he adds.
According to Mongia, their prime focus was on the mental aspect of tackling the bigger distance this time around. While Hemant has the experience of running 100km in the past, it would be a first for Som Bahadur, who hadn’t run beyond 65km.
“If you go too hard, the body will give up as the run progresses. A race such as this demands the right strategy from the very beginning,” Mongia says.
The duo had set themselves a target of finishing the 100km run in 10 hours. However, race day proved to be unusually hot with temperatures shooting past the 30-degree-celsius mark and in turn, adding to the timings of most runners. Yet, 63 of the 94 runners that started out got to the finish line within the cutoff time. For top honours, it was a close race between the favourites, Hemant and Som Bahadur, who did enough to keep the chasing pack at bay.
“At the 80km mark, both Hemant and Som Bahadur consumed Red Bull for the first time in their racing career. It provided instant energy for their final push towards the finish,” Mongia says.
Quite incredibly, the first edition of the 100km in 2023 race saw the same podium finish as the 53km category the previous year. Hemant took top spot in a time of 11 hours 41 minutes, Som Bahadur trailed him by just 15 minutes, while Dev came in third (14:14:56). Among the women, Chandrabhaga Kachare (19:37:31) was followed by Yamini Kothari (20:05:44) and Trupti Chavan (20:37:58) in the 100km category.
SRT Ultra 2023
© SRT Ultra
Future plans
For Dighvijay, the most rewarding moment came in the dead of the night in the Lingana area. He saw veteran ultra marathoner, Brijmohan ‘Breeze’ Sharma and walked up to check on him.
“It was 90km in the SRTL 100, and I asked him how he was doing. And all he said was, ‘Thank you for creating such a beautiful race in India!’ He was exhausted with the effort, but it was clear that he had enjoyed himself. It meant the world to me,” Dighvijay says.
Besides promoting trail running among elite runners, the folks at Western Ghats Running Foundation are also working on the grassroots. It was a rewarding moment for the team when Nikita Jagtap and Bhagwat Dhumal from Pargaon in Daund took top spot in the 11km category.
“Both come from humble backgrounds and belong to families of daily wage farm workers. In fact, Bhagwat didn’t even have shoes to run. He was in third position at one point but covered the gap to win the race. Locals have the potential since they know the area well. What they are missing is a platform to perform, and knowledge about diet and how to race. We want to identify these local talents and give them a good experience of running alongside some top runners,” Dighvijay says.
The organizing team of SRT Ultra have also introduced an Athlete Training Program for women to increase female participation. Besides, they have regular programs on fort conservation and they help the local mountain communities with essential resources.
Their dream is to bring the UTMB World Series to India and to take SRT Ultra to an international audience. And of course, they also want to showcase the wonders of the Sahyadri mountains to the world.
“If anyone carries out an online search for these forts before signing up for the SRT Ultra, the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj pops up. It must be destiny for this idea to come to me, so that I could highlight the glorious history of the Sahyadri ranges and Maharashtra through this race,” Dighvijay says.