Mumbai: Fat to fit in three years, cop gears up to run half marathon

MUMBAI: Fed up with his sister’s taunts, Tushar Patil took to running again in 2016. Three years later, Patil, who is with the GRP and posted at Dadar Railway station, breaks the sterotype of the pot-bellied cop. He is one fit bloke, capable of running not just a marathon, but for half a day!
Patil will be running in the Tata Mumbai Marathon on January 19. He hopes to clock a personal best of 1 hour 32 minutes for the half marathon.Patil was an athlete growing up in Alibaug. He ran the cross country and the half marathon. As a teenager, he had an envious timing of 1hour 12 minutes for the 21.1 km distance. Born to a farmer, Patil would train on the beaches of Alibaug. He moved to Mumbai when he landed a job with the GRP.
Marriage and two kids later, he gained weight. “There was a time before 2016 when I could not tie my shoe laces without having to prop my leg on a chair. The constant taunts from my sister forced me to seek refuge in running,” says Patil.
He started training in April 2016 and nine months later, a much fitter Patil was running the Mumbai marathon, clocking an impressive 4.01 hours for the 42.2km full marathon. In 2018, Patil even ran 96km in 12 hours.
Considering his duty hours, Patil has settled for the half marathon this time. “I am happy with the fact that I am more or less in the shape I was as a teenager,” says Patil.
Managing time for training is the most challenging task. If he has day shift — from 2 pm to 10 pm — he ensures he works out in the morning. On days he has to report for duty at 6 am, he rides his bicycle in the evening.
“ I always get my food from home. I don’t eat one morsel that is not made at home,” says Patil about his food habits.