Factory worker lives a dual life as one of India’s top ultrarunners
Abbas Sheikh, a factory worker in India, has risen the ranks of ultrarunning while working 12-hour work days as a jewelry polisher.
In addition to working 12-hour days at a factory in Mumbai polishing jewelry, Abbas Sheikh calls himself a ‘recreational runner,’ a stretch for someone considered one of India’s top ultrarunners.
In a short documentary by The Atlantic, Sheikh discusses waking up at 5 a.m. each morning for a run to avoid Mumbai traffic and the city’s sweltering heat before heading into work by 9 a.m. for his shift.
The daily average high throughout the year is above 30 C in one of the world’s most populous cities.
“I had a friend named Suraj from work,” explains Sheikh on how he got started in the sport. “We would see people running, so we decided to run too. I’ve never run before this in my life, even in the school games I would never run.”
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Living a dual life has paid off when, in 2013, Sheikh won the Bangalore Ultra 75K in 7:23:03, besting second place by nearly 70 minutes. Sheikh typically works six days a week but goes in on Sundays if the factory worker is asked to.
“We started with 100 metres running and 100 metres walking,” said Sheikh before moving up to longer distances.
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The Mumbai Marathon, known as the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, is this Sunday, Jan. 17.
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