The Marathon Queen

Retired IAS officer Rachel Chatterjee, who won the Mumbai Marathon in the age category of 65-69 for the fourth year in a row, shares her fitness secrets even as she exults in her win.

Every time Rachel Chatterjee runs a marathon, she proves that age is just a number. The 67-year-old retired IAS officer won the recent Mumbai Marathon in the category 65 to 69 years, making it the fourth consecutive time that she has achieved this feat.

Talking about what the win means to her, Rachel says, “It feels good to win. All the practice and effort has been rewarded, although running itself is reward enough as it keeps me healthy and energetic.”

It looks like Rachel is only getting younger by the day. Ask her about her fitness secrets and she replies, “Running and the mental discipline of getting out on the road or on to the treadmill at least four times a week keep me fit. There are days when I have to push myself to exercise, but once I’m on the treadmill, I feel good.” She adds, “The trick is to get over that initial resistance and do some form of cardio. I love running and listening to music. Others may enjoy swimming, or a game of badminton or tennis. Choose the preferred form of cardio and keep at it regularly. It works wonders. Diet is the other important part of keeping fit. What you sow is what you reap, and what you eat is how you will look and how fit you will feel.”

Does she find it challenging to stay so fit? “The challenge I face is me! All the excuses flood the mind when it’s time to put on the running shoes. But after the initial resistance, once you start, it’s great,” says Rachel.

So does she plan to run the marathon again? “Yes, I plan to do the full marathon again next year in Mumbai. But before that, I will do a few half marathons in Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. And I intend to participate in the Masters Athletics Championship Meets,” she reveals.

While she is an inspiration to many, one wonders who inspires her. Rachel says, “My family is generally conscious about keeping fit, so that’s been a part of our everyday life. However, the person who inspired me to run the full marathon is Rajiv Trivedi, an IPS colleague.”

She adds, “This year, all those who completed the full marathon in six hours were given two medals at the finish line — one for finishing the distance of 42.195 km, and one for the person who inspired each marathoner. I will be giving the inspiration medal to Rajiv. The other person who supports, guides and helps me train is Suresh, the coach at Jubilee Hills Club. He is an excellent runner himself and recently completed the Jaipur marathon in 3 hours and 41 minutes.”

Rachel is currently enjoying a break in Goa. “I’m on a break now, enjoying a reunion with my schoolmates in Goa. Binging on all the stuff I didn’t eat in the last few months, mainly chocolates, ice creams and desserts,” she says with a laugh. “While training for the marathon, one cuts down on sugars, and one needs to be disciplined about diet too, so this period is sweet liberty!” she adds.