Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The man who brought marathon to Indore never imagined himself running even a few meters. Dr Arun Agarwal, a fitness enthusiast in theory but never in practice, admits that outdoor sports were never his calling.
“I never played any outdoor game since childhood. I was never a runner, never even interested in running,” he recalls with a smile. Life changed, however, with a single story he read one morning of Toronto Marathon back in 2011.
That story was about Fauja Singh, a 100-year-old man who had completed a marathon in 8 hours and 16 minutes. “He had started running at 85. When I read that, I was 55 and I kept thinking—if he can run at 100, what’s stopping me?” says Dr Agarwal. The thought stayed with him and within two days, he made up his mind to participate in the upcoming Mumbai Marathon in January 2012.
His wife, psychiatrist Dr Smita Agarwal, was shocked. “You’ve never run before and suddenly want to do a marathon?” she had said. But Dr Agarwal was determined. The half marathon slots were full, so he registered for the full 42-kilometer marathon instead. He paid Rs 5000, gathered 12 friends and began training daily at Yeshwant Club and Daly College grounds.
Just ten days before the race, severe knee pain struck—the same knee he had injured years ago while skiing in Auli. His friends advised him not to go, but he refused to quit. “I ran despite the pain. After 24 kilometres, I wanted to stop, but my heart said otherwise. I completed all 42 kilometres and returned on crutches—but victorious,” he says with pride.
That one run became the foundation of Indore’s marathon movement. In 2013, he motivated twenty-seven more people. The idea of organising a marathon in Indore was initially mocked. “People said Indore is a foodie city—poha, jalebi lovers who’ll never pay to run,” he laughs. But Dr Agarwal proved everyone wrong.
With support from his then college friend, now State minister Kailash Vijayvargiya and sponsorship from Mukesh Ambani’s Jio, the first Indore Marathon was held in 2015. The team expected 5,000 runners but saw 9,000. With a budget of one crore and a social theme—Clean Indore, Green Indore, Healthy Indore—it set the tone for years to come.
Since then, Indore has hosted 11 marathons and countless initiatives like rainathon, heritage walks, and cycling events. From a man who once doubted he could run to the pioneer of a citywide fitness revolution, Dr Arun Agarwal didn’t just run a marathon—he made an entire city run with him.
