Shivnath Singh and the Holy Grail of marathon running

Last month Tamil Nadu’s Vithya Ramraj came within one hundredth of a second of equalling PT Usha’s 400m Hurdles national record of 55.42.

It is the closest any Indian woman has come to the 39-year-old mark that Usha set at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, but heartbreakingly missed bronze by a fraction of a second.

Usha’s stirring performance remains the longest-standing Indian women’s track and field record. India’s oldest athletics record, however, is Shivnath Singh’s 2 hours and 12 minutes in the men’s marathon set in Jalandhar in 1978.

The nearest an Indian long-distance runner has come to the late Singh’s 45-year-old mark – regarded as the Holy Grail of Indian marathon running – is former Asian marathon champion Gopi Thonakal with 2 hours, 13 minutes and 39 seconds at the 2019 Seoul Marathon.

A full minute and 39 seconds off Singh’s record though, but nevertheless an achievement in itself, considering only a handful of Indians have breached the 2 hour, 15-minute mark despite technological advancements in performance running shoes and the proliferation in the number of prize money events in the country.

A high point for Indian marathon on the world stage in recent years came at the 2016 Rio Olympics when Gopi and Kheta Ram finished 25th and 26th in a field of 155, recording times of 2h:15m:25s and 2h:15m:26s respectively.

But Singh’s record remains an unrealized goal to many.

Singh won 10,000m gold and 5,000m silver at the 1974 Asian Games and silver in both the 10,000m and 5000m in successive Asian Championships (1973 & 1975) before moving to the marathon.

The Army man, who ran barefoot or with feet taped, timed 2 hours, 15 minutes and 58 seconds in the Olympic trials on his marathon debut, surprising experts, and finished 11th with a time of 2 hours, 16 minutes and 22 seconds in a field of 71 at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, his maiden international marathon.

“He was one of the greatest long-distance runners we ever had. When he was with the front bunch till 35-km in Montreal, people had started wondering who this Indian is, sticking to the front this far,” the late JS Saini, former National coach, had recollected some years ago.

To put Arjuna award winner Singh’s national record in perspective, his personal best would have seen him finish fifth in Montreal and fourth in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, placing him alongside the top marathoners of his time.

Army runner Gopi believes Singh’s record is achievable, but requires cohesive team support.

“Top global marathon runners train in groups while in India everyone is training in isolation. There should be a good support system, only then can we expect good results,” he has said.

Distance running legend Eliud Kipchoge spoke of how marathon running is a team effort after winning a record fifth Berlin Marathon last Sunday.

“It’s really teamwork. When I began, it was about the individual, now it’s teamwork. I’m managed by the team (NN Running), I’m inside it and that’s the way the world is going.

“I have pressure on my shoulders but we share it, we are a team and we speak with one language, we see things with two eyes and hear with two ears and move on.”