Where are you from?

Grew up in India, currently live in New Jersey

Current P.R.

3:27:36

Typical pace

9:20-9:40/mile

Number of marathons

11

Occupation

Worked as trader on wall street; Partner in a solar power company; currently running coaching, consulting for my mom’s school in India and managing family investments

Favorite marathon

Boston (1), Tunnel (2)

Hobbies

Reading, Running

Favorite Running Food

Pre-run: Bagels

What are you reading now?

The little red book of running

Who do you train with?

Coached by Dylan Belles; Run with the NJ Maniacs

Personal goals

I would like to run a sub 90 half

A quotation you like…

I like many - a couple that come to mind - Practice makes permanent so make sure to practice correctly and with good form. The first person to hear something that comes out of your mouth is you – make sure you say the right things!

Why do you run?

Academics came easy for me while growing up, in college and at work. While I was always active I started running at 51 and quickly realized that it made me work and the more I worked the better I got. That got me into it but the friendships and people I met through running has made me stay.

Describe your best marathon memory.

I came into the NYC marathon ‘21 after an extremely painful finish in the Mohawk marathon a month earlier and a cramp filled York marathon in May ‘21. I was ready to stop running marathons and stick to shorter distances but I decided to give it one more shot with NYC. My goal for NYC was to take it easy and enjoy the first 20 miles and then race the last 6.2. The race went as per plan and I crossed the finish line running and a huge smile and joy and the marathon journey continued.

Why do you pace?

The joy of helping other runners achieve their goals is amazing. My first pacing experience was when our team captain Roni paced me in a 1 mile time trial. I was full of gratitude at the end. I paced a friend for the first time in a flattish half marathon in Jan ’22 – we had a great time, chatted throughout and I kept his attention away from his watch and helped him push his limits to a personal best. That feeling was amazing. I paced another friend in Feb ’22 in a 10k in Central park. A very different experience where I used stryd power to target effort. It was a PR for him and he learnt the skill of how to push to a 10/10 effort by the end of a race. It was only in Feb ‘26 that I paced again – 2 people, in the New Delhi marathon, my first experience in the full distance. Their goal was to get a sub 4. The race and pacing went much better than target and they were able to finish in 3:57 and 3:58 respectively.

Tell us your best pacing experience.

This was when I paced my friend Suhas in the Jan ’22 half in Flushing meadows. It was a rainy morning and the course had 4 loops which meant 8 crossings over a bridge that went over the highway. I kept hjim calm as people passed us at the start and each time as we crossed the bridge. “Let them go, we will be running past them in the last loop” and that was spot on as most people had burned through their energy by that last 3 mile loop and I helped him finish strong.

Why should someone run in your pace group?

My experience in running, workouts and races has taught me that the best performances come when we ease into our target rather than forcing it. Even when I paced the 2 friends in the Delhi marathon it was by mile 3 that we were at target pace. And we made up the initial 40 sec slower pace a little bit each mile over the next 11 miles, crossing the half just under 2h. Someone in my pace group should be comfortable with this strategy.

Any tips for runners about to join your group?

Ease into you target pace or effort, you have someone pacing so let them worry about the pace and effort you can take a quick look at your watch every 3 miles or so to make sure it is ok, remember it is the mile markers on the course that marks the right distance not what your watch says, focus on your hydration and gels since everyone will have a different goal for that and I cannot help with that, make friends and chat with me or the other people running with you – it is a long time from start to the finish and this will make the miles go faster, enjoy the journey as much as you can, thank the people cheering and the volunteers – that gratitude will help you, and remember to smile as much as you can – it will ease up the pain and effort.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Marathons are hard and there will be many occasions when the fitness and training may not translate into race day performance. Do not lose heart, learn from every run, every race and keep moving forward. Your day(s) will come.

What philanthropic activities do you have?

I contribute monthly and support a soccer team through an organization called Enabling Leadership. They help underprivileged kids in India and other Asian countries develop leadership skill through sports, music and other activities. The organization is led by a college classmate of mine and because of this personal connection I am convinced they are doing great work.