For Ajmer-born woman Sufiya Sufi Khan, creating Guinness Book records has become an annual affair. She has so far created five records and although she is now in her late 30s, she is showing no signs of slowing down. She belongs to that rare breed of ultramarathon runners who have the courage, determination and stamina to run hundreds of kilometers on each adventure.
The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed her as the fastest runner to run across Qatar (north to south), covering a distance of 200 kilometers in 30 hours and 31 minutes. The well-known publication also has credited her with the Most Marathons Run in a Calendar Year by a Woman, in 2018.
High mountains and oxygen-starved altitudes do not deter her. She crossed the mountainous Manali-Leh stretch on foot and completed the distance of 485 km in 6 days, 12 hours, and 6 minutes, making her the fastest woman to cover the route.
She also holds the record for setting the fastest time by a woman to complete the Golden Quadrilateral, a network of highways connecting Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai, in 2021. Sufiya covered the 6002 km distance in 110 days, 23 hours, and 24 minutes. Not only that, she also holds the record for being the fastest woman to traverse from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 2019, running the length in 87 days, 2 hours, and 17 minutes.
More than a sport
For Sufiya, running is more than a sport. It is a form of therapy that helps her to escape from the stress and strain of life. It provides her with the outdoor freedom that exists beyond the confines of four walls. Running provides her with an opportunity to stretch her mental and physical limits and see where her boundaries lie.
Sufiya quit her job as a ground staff crew member at the Delhi airport in 2017 to pursue her passion of Ultramarathon running. Her first long distance run was the Golden Triangle run (Delhi-Agra-Jaipur-Delhi) where she logged 16 days, 1 hour and 27 minutes, creating an All India record. Spurred on by the early success, she trained hard and worked on her endurance for the further success that followed.
Began to like running
In an interview with the Hindustan Times newspaper she explained what motivated her: “The job at the airport was very taxing, so I took up running to let off some frustration. Gradually, I began to like it. The distances kept increasing and I kept pushing myself. Getting into Ultra running was a natural progression.”
“Once my interest piqued, I decided to quit my job and dive into Ultra running full-time. The fact that not many women do it in India doesn’t bother me. I’ll be happy if a lot more girls start running. I like to push the boundaries and test my limits,” Sufiya added.
Self-taught athlete
A self-taught athlete, Sufiya is being supported by sportswear giants Under Armour. She still doesn’t have a trainer or a coach. However, her sponsors provided her with a mental conditioning coach ahead of her Manali-Leh run.
“When I started, I didn’t know anything about injury management, training, diet, nutrition and so on. Since I didn’t know much about these things, I never thought I might get injured. I just ran. Now, I have enough knowledge to become a coach. At one point, every sport becomes a mental contest. Distance runs are as much about mental strength as they are about physical endurance,” said Sufiya. Her next goal is to circumnavigate the globe on foot. Knowing her mental and physical strengths, it will be no surprise if she achieves this stunning feat shortly.
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