Sinhagad Epic Trail — 42 kilometres where the earth and the sky made me dance to the tune of the rains
TL;DR: Sinhagad Epic Trail 42k Skyrace. Forty two kilometres of pain and pleasure, together as one. Spine breaking uphills, mercilessly fast downhills, captivating ridges, breathtaking views, all heightened by rain throughout the route. Torture and bliss taken to another level. What’s not to love!!!
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Signing up for my first ever skyrace was an exciting affair. The beauty of the Sahyadri mountains in the rains was an invitation that was not to be rejected. Combined with the fact that these mountains have been home to some of the fiercest battles in Indian history, the 42km skyrace at Sinhagad near Pune was an experience that called me with open arms.
The race gave us a sadistic welcome by making us all take a nerve wracking 2.5 km climb to Sinhagad Fort from the northern side that faces Pune. It’s just rocks! And rain. And early morning hikers. By the time the climb was completed, it had started pouring and legs already started getting tired.
Respite came in the form of a 3km-odd road section that followed the ascent. ‘It can’t get too bad’, I thought.
‘Wait till you see bad’, Bad said.
And before I knew it, came the first forest climb on the K2S hills. And what followed was a tussle between me and the rain, and the first attack of slippery, muddy, lightning fast downhills, where maintaining one’s balance and sanity took all the focus. The section ended pretty much at the 10 km mark and took 2 hours. The next 6 kms or so were a mix of ‘easier’ trails, mud patches and roads, bringing another round of respite from the struggles faced early on.
Mengjai followed next. A beautiful ridge, only accessible through a 2 km climb. With the rains already having done their damage on a climb that was supposed to be the toughest in the race, getting to the top took a lot more. The ridge was the reward — 500m of a 5–15ft wide ridge with a steep free fall on either side. Easily, the highlight of the race. And what followed were speedier, muddier, more slippery downhills. Still, by covering almost 25km in 4 hours, I found myself well within the intermediate cutoff of 7 hours.
The second Sinhagad climb, from Kalyan village on the southern side of the mountain, the easiest by far. It was rather easy sailing with some technical sections towards the end, concluding at the fort’s Kalyan Darwaza at about the 28th kilometre. This was probably the happiest and the most relaxed I was through the entire race.
Spirits high and all charged up, the next set of instructions were pretty straightforward: Climb down Sinhagad and make the final climb up from the western side via Tanaji Kada — a historic section and one that’s very close to Punekars’ hearts.
The segment started rather easily with a 3km-ish descent through even more slippery trails, verdant hill tops and some more fine but wider ridges. But all of that soon gave away to another equally daunting 3kms of uphill climbs through some of the narrowest forest trails I’ve ever run.
I could see Sinhagad. That was the final stretch with just 2km separating us. It stood there, mighty, with the clouds forming a wispy crown on its crest. And the only way to get there was by climbing the three mountains that stood sentry over the fort.
Intimidating? Overwhelming? Scary? Making you realise how insignificant you are? Testing each and every nerve in your body? There were countless times I wrestled with the thought of giving up. My mind had already started conjuring up visions of the food that would be served after the race. But this had to be done. There was no secret option C — or a regular option B.
Sometimes all you need to do is surrender yourself to nature. And breathe. Allow the rain to fall over you. Feel the wind. Touch the clouds. Absorb the moment. Get moved. And keep moving.
And that’s what I did.
It finally happened — I caught a glimpse of the yellow ropes indicating the climb was coming to an end. And along with it, came a sudden surge of adrenaline that washed all my emotions away and gave me sudden focus to finish strong.
It was already nearing 2PM by the time I hit the final 4km descent through the fort and then further down. Only, the trouble was far from over. A new challenge had arisen.
People.
Being a Sunday, and a reasonable time of day on a pleasant afternoon, huge crowds had started gathering at the base on picnics and getaways. It wasn’t just 2.5km of rocky steep downhill, but also 1500 people that separated me from triumph.
But in the end, the battle was finally won in 8 hours and 24 minutes, well within the final cutoff of 11 hours, with an elevation gain of 2500+ metres.
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Great job by Western Ghats Running Foundation — the route clearly reflected the heart and soul of the organising team, and showed how connected they are with the mountains.
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And a fitting farewell to my Merrell Trail Glove 4 shoes. You’ve been great and have helped me reach new heights. I’ll drink to you 🍻❤️
