Barefoot, Backwards & Beyond | The Unconventional Running Journey of Sarthak Malani | Urbantarzan

Sarthak Malani is not the runner next door who chases PBs. Rather, he changes how running is viewed—he runs barefoot and backward. He is much liked by runners in the community and he inspired many others to take up running (backwards). In this episode, Vikas sits down with Sarthak to discuss what inspired Sarthak to take up running backwards: In this episode, they cover: • How Sarthak transitioned from shoes to barefoot running over 6 to 8 months • Why backward running works, how it gave relief to his runner’s knee, and how he got back to running from 100 metres to over 60 km • Training without a coach, doing back to back long runs, and what actually helped him achieve a 1:29 half marathon • Running in Kenya and what Kenyan athletes taught him about truly slow running • His advice to beginners, fall in love first, ignore social media, and stop comparing and • A moment in Kolkata that reminded him why being able to run at all is the biggest privilege Timestamps : 00:00 — Teaser 01:07 — Intro 01:45 — Who is Sarthak Malani? 04:23 — Growing up near lions & Arabian Sea? 06:02 — Why did Sarthak start running? 09:24 — Why no shirt, no watch, no armband? 13:00 — 15 years, zero coaches — how? 15:00 — How did ChatGPT help him crack 1:29? 17:14 — What did Kenyan runners teach him? 19:21 — How did Milind Soman change his running? 22:08 — How to start barefoot running? 24:00 — How to build calluses & run barefoot in Mumbai? 27:51 — How did runner's knee end his running? 28:30 — What is backward running & where did it come from? 30:26 — How did his first backward run on a highway go? 32:42 — What did his mother say when he said he'd run backward? 35:57 — How to safely start backward running? 36:30 — Running a full marathon backward — in crocs? 38:24 — Are beginners running for the gram? 42:38 — What did a man with one leg teach him? 43:40 — Keep Running #SarthakMalani #BarefootRunning #BackwardRunning #RunWithFitpage #UrbanTarzan #RunningIndia #MinimalistRunning #RunnersKnee #HalfMarathon #ChatGPTTraining #MilindSoman #MumbaiRunning #RunningMotivation #FitnessIndia #LongDistanceRunning #Ultramarathon #RunningJourney #RunningPodcast #IndianRunners #RunningCommunity #EnduranceRunning #RunningLifestyle #BarefootRunner #FitIndia #RunningTips #PodcastIndia #RunningWithoutShoes #MarathonIndia #RunningBarefoot ABOUT THE PODCAST: RUN WITH FITPAGE This podcast series is built with a focus on bringing science and research from the endurance sports industry. These may help you learn and implement them in your training, recovery, and nutrition journey. We invite coaches, exercise scientists, researchers, nutritionists, doctors, and inspiring athletes to come and share their knowledge and stories with us. Our goal is to make Run with Fitpage one of the best podcasts for beginner runners to help them with techniques, and nutrition and help all of us to stay motivated! About Vikas: Vikas, an MBA from Chicago Booth, worked at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, APGlobale, and Reliance before coming up with the idea of democratizing fitness knowledge and helping beginners get on a fitness journey. Vikas is an avid long-distance runner, building fitpage to help people learn, train, and move better. Please don’t forget to Like, Share & Subscribe. Our Social Media Handles: Facebook:   / fitpage.in   LinkedIn:   / fitpage   Instagram:   / fitpage   Youtube:    / fitpage   Twitter:   / fitpage   Website: https://fitpage.in/