At an age when most people would start finding it hard to walk over a few feet, a 68-year-old man in coastal Karnataka is running marathons and inspiring youths. Meet Madhav Saripalla, an autorickshaw driver by profession who did not know about marathons till he turned 55, but has since completed over 100 of them, even winning some.
Raised in a poor family, Saripalla bought an autorickshaw at the age of 28, and began to earn his living. Before long, he got married and had a son who had a learning disability. “It was a challenge to raise him. After my daughter was born, we learnt that she has a hearing impairment. It was tough,” he says.
Taking up running
Saripalla enrolled his son Dhanaraj in a special school where he picked up skating. “I used to take him to school, and he took an interest in skating. He went on to win several medals,” the proud father says.
However, during an event in China, Dhanaraj sustained serious injuries to his arm, which brought his skating career to an abrupt end. Instead of letting the family’s sporting spirit die, Saripalla decided to carry it forward himself. “When my son was injured, he became unable to skate, and it also limited the use of his hand. I then decided to run while taking forward his inclination towards sports. He enjoyed it. I used to carry him and walk, and I felt I could run too,” he says.
Saripalla’s first 21-km marathon was at Yedapadav in 2011 at the age of 55, after which he participated in marathons in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, and other parts of Karnataka. He also takes part in long-distance races. “I participate in 5,000 and 10,000-metre races in athletic events,” he says.
Before he took up running, a series of incidents tested Saripalla’s resilience. In 2007, a part of his house collapsed, pushing the family into hardship. “I had only one autorickshaw, and whatever I earned was going to the family. After I took up running, people started noticing me. In 2017, people donated money to rebuild the collapsed part of the house,” he says.
Asked what kept motivating him to run, Saripalla shares that initially, the recognition drew him but later, he saw that youths were getting inspired. “There were times when I used to overtake youngsters during the run, and they felt challenged by an old man. In the next race, they would try to overtake me and would prepare well for it. I am happy to be inspiring them. Many of the youths in my neighbourhood now think about sports and running. Some of the elders have also started to engage in physical activities to keep fit,” he says.
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Struggles continue, but resilience remains
By 2018, Saripalla had become famous in the runners’ community in Mangaluru, but he still struggled to make two ends meet. In 2018, he had to sell his only autorickshaw to arrange money for his daughter’s wedding. “We suffered for five years without my auto. Since my son cannot travel by bus, I had to drop and pick him up from his workplace,” he recalls. Today, Dhanaraj works as an office assistant under the sports quota – a small victory in their journey of perseverance.
Saripalla now rides an electric autorickshaw registered in his nephew’s name as banks refused to grant him a loan. “I earn around Rs 600-800 per day and I am able to pursue running,” he says.
About his practice and diet, Saripalla says it is very simple. “I cover a distance of 20 km in about 2.45 hours. I train myself for the same distance at least thrice a week and aim to decrease the duration. I drink ganji (porridge) and eat eggs.”
Today, Saripalla has sponsors who pay the registration fees for his participation. He is now busy training for the Mangaluru Marathon 2025, slated to be held on November 9. “I will be running 32 km in the event with the support of the marathon community,” he says.