Kidney Donor Sushma Singh Finds Her Way Back to the Running Track With Determination

Delhi Half Marathon on October 15

Khel Today Bureau 

New Delhi: Running is considered to be one of the easiest ways to stay healthy, and similarly, it is also a source of inspiration, and freedom for many in the community. Sushma Singh, who is based out of New Delhi, looks forward to her runs and likes to challenge herself every time.

“I started running 2-3 km and then steadily increased my distance last year. Running makes me super strong and makes me feel that I can handle my life problems easily,” she said.

Sushma, returned to the track after a gap of more than 20 years, when she ran a 10K in 2022. “It felt so good when I ran 10K and finished under 60 minutes. I was on cloud nine. So, on that day I decided that I should go for more,” she said.

However, after donating her kidney to her husband earlier in the year, there were questions about whether Sushma would be able to get back to running the way she wanted.

“From 4th July till 3rd September, I was in the recovery period, and the doctor said that you can only go walking if you are able to, and no other activity should be done, no weight training, no running and no jogging at all.”

But she was determined to run, and slowly she found her way back to the track. “This thought didn’t come to my mind, even for a single second that I won’t be able to run again. Post my recovery, I started running again and I will definitely not stop at 5 kilometres. This year, I have registered for the 10K run at the Delhi Half Marathon and I am I’m positive that I will complete the race.”

While Sushma is delighted to be running again, she is busy preparing for the 18th edition of the Delhi Half Marathon, and leading the cheering squad will be her 11-year-old daughter.

“We were watching the Asian Games, and Harmilan Bains was running with the India flag. And my daughter told me that she wanted to see me run like that. She has the belief that I could do it, and that was an emotional moment for me, I told her I would make her and India proud. Kids learn from seeing the actions of their elders, and she is learning things from me,” Sushma signed off.

The USD 268,000 prize money World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, will be flagged off from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday, October 15. As many as 111 participants will celebrate their birthdays on race day. The oldest male runner at this year’s  Delhi Half Marathon will be Krishnapal Singh Tomar (88 years old – Senior Citizens Run) and Indu Bala Agarwal (84 years old – Senior Citizens Run) will be the oldest female runner. Meanwhile, Dushyant Kumar (12 years old – Great Delhi Run) will be the youngest male and Suhaani Rajvanshi (12 years old – Great Delhi Run) & Hope Teresa David (12 years old – Champions With Disability) will be the youngest females at the Delhi Half Marathon.