Calgary ( Rajeev Sharma): Vivek Dhande’s mother, Priya Dhande, who resides in Calgary, has shared details of her son’s ultra distance run across Maharashtra, highlighting a journey that combined endurance with history and geography.
Mumbai-born endurance runner Vivek Dhande, 23, completed a 176 kilometre run from Pune’s historic Shaniwar Wada to the Gateway of India in Mumbai over three days, transforming the athletic effort into a passage through Maharashtra’s landscape and his own personal narrative. Dhande said the choice of start and finish points was intentional. Shaniwar Wada, he noted, represents Pune’s historical and cultural legacy, while the Gateway of India stands as an enduring symbol of Mumbai, the city of his birth.
The run was completed in three stages. On Day One, Dhande covered 69.46 km from Pune to Lonavala in 10 hours and 52 minutes. Day Two saw him run 63.37 km from Lonavala to Navi Mumbai in 11 hours and 24 minutes. On the final day, he completed the remaining 43.27 km from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai in 8 hours and 9 minutes, finishing beside the Taj Hotel at the Gateway of India.
His route passed several major landmarks, including Sambhaji Bridge in Pune, the Lonavala ghats, the Old Vashi Bridge, CST Station, Marine Drive, and Nariman Point. Wearing reflective running gear, Dhande drew attention along the way, with many passersby stopping to inquire about his destination.
Reflecting on the experience, Dhande spoke of the sharp contrasts encountered during the run from the stillness near the under-construction Navi Mumbai International Airport to the intensity of Mumbai’s traffic. “These shifts between silence and chaos made the journey memorable,” he said.
Dhande’s interest in running began in childhood and strengthened during his school years in the United States, where he competed in cross-country events. It continued to grow during his undergraduate studies in Canada. Earlier this year, he completed a 62.13 km run from Milan to Chiasso and a 110 km, multi-day hike in the Canadian Rockies, experiences that helped prepare him for the Pune-to-Mumbai ultra run.
Currently pursuing a PhD in physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Dhande believes endurance challenges are largely mental. Quoting his grandmother’s saying, “thembe thembe talā sāchtā”drop by drop, a lake is formed he said the key was focusing on one kilometre at a time rather than the entire distance.
