kasodekar’s lo2high community suitability At the core of the event is a simple philosophy – aim for the ‘higher’ in life. Kasodekar told TOI, “Many people faced ‘low points’ in their lives during the pandemic. It gave me a sense of looking forward in my life, aiming for ‘high points’ in life. The chosen road appears as a metaphor for the same philosophy.” He said the current weather is ideal for running as the body temperature cools down quickly.
The event aims to cover a distance of 76,000 km by August 15 to celebrate 76 years of India’s independence and for this Kasodekar has reached out to everyone. Whether participants run, walk, cycle or walk, they can register to be a part of the program by contributing to the cause.
Kasodekar will stop at various schools during his visit and provide fitness kits to children with the hope of teaching the youth. He said, “During this journey I am meeting all kinds of people and everyone has something to teach. I really enjoy visiting all the places which are so different from each other.”
When he feels like giving up, he dreams of the end goal and this encourages him to keep going. Before long races, Kasodekar used to walk his usual Baner to Dehu Road Phata route and preferred to take a detour to Sinhagad Fort for training. While training for long races, Kasodekar likes to indulge in things that push him out of his comfort zone.
He hopes that through the Low2High program, families will engage and embrace fitness as a collective goal. Infused with a bit of patriotism, the program, which ends on August 15, allows participants to register for free and sync their smartwatches to map progress.
There is a leaderboard to encourage participants to stay on top. While the majority of participants in the event are from India, there are also a few participants from Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malaysia, Japan and Austria.
Kasodekar also has several other awards to his credit. He has also earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for most consecutive marathoners – male, for completing 60 marathons in 60 consecutive days on January 26, 2022.
In addition, he is also the first and only Indian to complete the world’s most grueling marathon – the 555 km LA Ultra Marathon in Ladakh, India and the finisher of the world’s toughest walking race – the Badwater 135.