GREY. It is a thrill for me to understand that I have covered as much distance between the earth and the moon on a bicycle. He advises, “I was not the fittest person during my youth. In fact, I make sure I complete at least 53 km in a day. But I wasn’t used to sitting at home since I have led an active life.”Janardan hopes to inspire youngsters in their twenties to take up running.”end-of. If I can be healthy, anybody can.For Janardan, running is a chance to relive his childhood.”When Janardan isn’t running, he is busy cycling and trekking across the Himalayas. What is more, it was after being diagnosed with epilepsy that Janardan’s life changed, for the better. There were so many things that I didn’t do as a teenager. Janardhan took off on his bicycle without telling his family. “My wife had a problem with me when I decided to go off medicines. I called my family to let them know I was safe. But unperturbed with all the attention, the 83-year-old marathon runner went about the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon last week in Mumbai in typical style and finished the race in under three hours. “I am quite happy with my timing,” says the oldest runner in the race. I never felt as healthy as I did when I cycled. “It was a route that I am familiar with since I have previously participated in marathons here,” he says, thrilled with his new personal record. Which means he needs to clock in another 11,000 km.
Janardan is now on a mission to cycle the distance equivalent to that between the earth and the moon —3;84,400 km.AGE CORRESPONDENT Published: Aug 28, 2016, 10:41 pm IST Updated: Aug 28, 2016, 10:41 pm IST All eyes were fixed on Bylahalli Raghunath Janardan as he made his way to the track that Sunday morning.jpgAll eyes were fixed on Bylahalli Raghunath Janardan as he made his way to the track that Sunday morning.”There was resistance to this radical move. He says, “Even if it is something like a wedding function, I always travel on my bicycle. I feel like I am reliving and doing things that I didn’t attempt during my childhood days. Getting fit should be in everybody’s priority list,” he advises. He says, “I cycled for 40 km. But soon she realised how determined I was,” he recalls, chuckling. He says, “I cycle around 1,900 km a month. I stopped taking the prescription medicines too. The octogenarian plans to run a marathon each month till February next year. Now I realise how important it is to take care of oneself. The retired railway officer was on medication and was advised complete rest. So I should be able to complete the target in the next six months. This helped me, and soon, I was doing things the way I did before I was diagnosed with the illness. He recalls, “After being diagnosed, I wasn’t allowed to step out of the house.”The New Year’s Day of 1997 proved to be a fresh start for Janardan after he decided to take matters into his own hands. Every other day she would either puncture the tyres or break the valve tubes. He recalls, “When I was young, I wasn’t that active and didn’t even know what a marathon was.Today, he cycles across China Electric folding bike Bengaluru when his family travels by car.