Gitanjali Chandrasekharan (MID-DAY; January 1, 2017)

When I was younger, I disliked running. I was a swimmer and was a national level athlete. However, swimming was something I stopped doing regularly when I was 23 years old, around the time I took up modelling. When I was 38 years old, I took up running and that changed my life.

The marathon — because of its history — was a mythical concept in my head, something I knew as a child that I wanted to attempt once in my life. So, when in 2003, the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon was announced (for the year 2014), I knew I had to participate. After all, it was an event that was happening in my city. I prepared for it for a few months and ran the half marathon. Suffice to say, I was hooked.

After that, I went on to do the full marathon, several city-to-city runs and then, last year I participated in the Ironman — which is a triathlon. Next, I am training for the Ultraman which will be conducted in Florida in February.

I feel most like myself when I run. I feel one with the Universe. At the most basic level, you feel in control of yourself and you feel like you are in the right place. Swimming has now taken a backseat. I now swim once or twice a year, but when I do, it’s long distances. I enjoy running more.