I grew up in New Delhi, a city that is completely pancake flat. There are no mountains, no real hiking culture—nothing to prepare you for a life in the trails.
When I moved to America at 18, I landed in Los Angeles and saw real mountains for the first time. I was captivated. All I wanted to do was go on a hike.
That’s how it started. I have this habit of treating life like a game where the goal is always to unlock the next level. I started with simple hikes, then leveled up to harder ones, and eventually, I was climbing 14,000-foot peaks. But confidence built too quickly can be a trap.
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Mount Whitney
After summiting Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous U.S., I thought I was an expert. So when a friend needed help training for a climb there, I jumped at the chance. The problem was, I was living in Texas at the time and flew in without being properly acclimatized or trained for the altitude.
I made a complete fool of myself. The climb was miserable, and I felt deeply embarrassed and unfit. That failure was a turning point. It became my motivation. I looked up to alpinists like the great Ueli Steck, and I noticed that these world-class climbers were also competing in 100-kilometer running races. I realized that if I wanted to be truly capable in the mountains, I needed to build a serious engine. I needed to run.
Finding My Stride
My first goal was just to run a mile every day to build stamina. Then, a friend told me about a 50-kilometer ultramarathon in the Mojave Desert. It sounded like the perfect test. During that race, two things became clear.
First, running was the most efficient way to explore the mountains I loved. Instead of driving for hours just for a 10-mile hike, I could cover 32 miles of incredible terrain in a single outing. Second, this wasn’t a solo sport. I ran with a group, made new friends, and felt the energy of the community. To my complete surprise, I landed third place in my age group. That small trophy was a huge moment of positive reinforcement. There was something special to this ultramarathon thing, and I was hooked.
From there, it was one race after another, always training and improving. There were more failures for sure, but you learn from them. I started increasing the distance—from 50k to 100k, and eventually, to 100 miles. I found I enjoyed the steep, mountainous courses the most because they slow everything down and force you to be present. That led me to chase the most prestigious and challenging races, like the Western States 100—what we call the Super Bowl of ultra-running in North America. It’s a legendary race with a lottery system that makes just getting to the start line an achievement.
Best Tips
My journey wasn’t easy, but the lessons were clear. If you’re thinking about getting into trail or ultra-running, here is the most important advice I can share.
- Start Slow. This is the number one rule. You cannot just jump from running 10 miles to 50 miles. You will get injured. It is a very gradual process, and the key is to enjoy that journey—the training, the nutrition, the small victories. Think of the race itself as a celebration of all your hard work.
- Find a Community and Simulate Conditions. You learn so much from others. Find training groups or friends to do “adventure runs” with. It’s also vital to train for the specific conditions of your goal race. If the terrain is dry and dusty, you need to find similar trails to prepare your body.
- Invest in the Right Gear. On race day, you want to eliminate every possible annoyance. Having the best gear you can—from shoes that don’t give you blisters to a headlamp that won’t fail—removes small problems so you can focus entirely on the bigger challenge in front of you.
Training Ground for Life
Looking back, the lessons I learned on the trail were about more than just running. The mountains taught me about perseverance, about pushing through discomfort, and about the importance of a goal that pulls you forward.
It’s a mindset I now apply to everything. It’s the same resilience that fuels my professional life, giving me the confidence to take on extreme challenges like acquiring three businesses in three months. The mountains were my training ground, but the race continues in all parts of life.
If you liked this story, I invite you to read more of my experiences on my blog by clicking here.