New Delhi, June 22 -- For three months, Devarao Choudhari led an austere life in preparation of the Comrades Marathon (89.98km) in South Africa on 8 June. He shifted base from the comfort of his home in Pusad near Yavatmal in Maharashtra to the cool climes of Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand in order to train at altitude. It was the longest he had stayed away from family and managed on his own. The effort paid off when he clocked 7 hours, 3 minutes, the fastest time by an Indian at the Comrades.

The 2025 edition of the race was the "Down Run" from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, where the previous best Indian timing was Kartik Joshi's mark of 7 hours, 26 minutes. Last year on the "Up Run" (Durban to Pietermaritzburg), Choudhari had registered 7 ...