The accidental runner

For Sunil Robert Vuppula, discovering at a young age that he had a natural talent for public speaking was the beginning of a lifelong journey—one that led him out of a downward spiral of poverty, fear and violence and onto a path to becoming the accomplished communications professional he is today. In this interview, he shares his life experiences in an elaborate manner

The beginning of the running journey

Running was an act of defiance. Physically, I was at my lowest ebb during the year 2010. I was a new immigrant in the USA, I had lost both my parents within three years under traumatic circumstances. My wife was going through a bit of health crisis and I was in extreme emotional duress. A sedentary lifestyle, coupled with an insatiable love of food set me down the path of borderline obesity, high blood pressure.. But there was another backstory to this downward spiral – an automobile accident in Hyderabad.

The accident and after

During my advertising days, I was visiting a client and I was involved in a massive bike crash and I woke up to the reality of having to surgically remove my right knee bone. Overnight from a die-hard sports buff, I had become a grumpy and depressed young man with bitterness and resentment oozing out of every pore of my body. The prognosis was that I would limp for the rest of my life, and also take the help of a cane to walk straight.

The turning point

A dramatic meeting with my mentor, a well known writer called Cecil Murphey had a lasting impression. During his visit to my house in New Jersey where he( at that time a 76 - year- old) came to spend a weekend, observed my lifestyle closely said " Put me down as one of the pall-bearers for your funeral"

That comment shellacked me. But what triggered some degree of action on my part was an influential leader at work. During one of the town hall meetings, the freshly minted CEO, Chandra as he is popularly known, talked about his love for marathons and even though he is running a multi-billion dollar company, he always prioritised physical fitness along with his other responsibilities. "If you cannot run your life, you cannot run anything else effectively" These two encounters compelled me to take a hard look at my life and I resolved to reclaim my life.

Rising up after being beaten

The first time I was on the treadmill, I barely lasted two minutes. More than lack of stamina, it was my inability to balance because the load bearing capacity in my right knee was down to 30-40 percent. Slowly I increased it to five and then to ten minutes and I built my self, I cried when I first ran a mile non-stop. So when I ran Philadelphia marathon in 2010, I felt like Rocky Balboa. Rising up after being beaten. For someone who could barely walk straight to running an endurance race of 21 km I had come a long way. But I did not become a convert to running till I ran the NYC marathon the following year.

Memorable event in my running career

My toughest race ought to be the Amsterdam Marathon. Just within the first hour, I pulled a hamstring muscle. Which meant I could not even stand, forget jogging. So I tied my hamstring using the full sleeve T-shirt I was wearing and in typical bollywood style – started to hobble along the race. Every few mins I would stop and let the pain recede and continue. I must have finished the rest of 20 miles in unbearable agony but determined to finish. I was going to crawl, if I could not walk the rest of the way.

My biggest accomplishment till date

Is to stay motivated enough to pursue the World Major Races. The top six world major races are called the Abbott Majors. Much like the Grand slam in Tennis, every marathon runner covets these races. I was well on my way to run the Tokyo marathon on March 1 – 2020 and just a week before the race the country closed down to secure their country from Covid. Since then Tokyo kept eluding me and God willing in March 2023 I would be a proud recipient of the Abbot Medal as well.

The Hyderabad Marathon

Till I landed in Hyderabad, I was assuming that Boston Marathon or the Jerusalem marathon were the toughest I have run because of the hills. Unfortunately both these races also the wettest races because throughout the day, it was pouring buckets. During these wet races, runners lose traction with the ground because of slippery shoes and they land each step gingerly not to risk falling over.

The hometown experience

But Hyderabad was altogether a different challenge. In addition to the humidity which was at 85-90 percent on race day, one had to contend with about five flyovers. For someone who is used to mild temparatures and cold weather racing, Hyderabad was a big challenge. So my race strategy to keep it simple, take my time during the first half and conserve energy till Durgam cheruvu flyover and pick up the pace after that point. I did alright and finished strong but my respect for Hyderabad Runners increased manifold. I was glad that the very first race I ran in India happened in my hometown.

Tips for staying motivated

My motivation was to get healthy and overcome my disabled knee. Soon I discovered that it was pretty cool to be known as a marathoner. I would like to be known as someone who overcame every obstacle that came my way. If a dream gets deferred like the Tokyo marathon, it only increases my stubborn commitment to stay the course and finish it. So here are a few tips I share with everyone along my journey:

• The journey to a marathon is about 200-300 miles. The last 26.2 miles on race day are just the photo opps.

• When you run a city marathon, you own that piece of the city forever.

• You'll understand the power of cheer. When strangers cheer and egg you to finish, your spirit comes alive and propels your body along.

• Your medal may lose your sheen, your mettle only shines brighter, each passing day!

'Bound to Rise'

My second book – "Bound to Rise" actually riffs off the marathon metaphor because I found an endurance race is such a powerful representation of Life. The dependence of a race on elements like the weather, the ability to adapt to any unpredictable factors like injuries, running out of gas in the middle of the race are similarities that our life's experiences that hit us at regular intervals. Remember, it's also okay to take time off from running. Life is not one hectic schedule of one race after the other. Remember there are many who are currently in hospitals who would be glad to trade their positions to get healthy.

Spurring youth into action

As a writer and motivational speaker I encourage people to make their life count. These sporting pursuits give me the anecodatal evidence to spur them to action. Preaching works but Practice inspires! Whether it is through my talks, or through my books, the desire is to see lives transformed through intention and action. If I can light another candle, together we shine brighter.