You don’t have to fit into a genetic glove to be a marathoner, or even a long-distance runner who crushes lap after lap on a synthetic stadium track. Running is for everyone. And if your lungs love it and your body is willing to take the punishment mile after mile, over a distance of 42,195 km, it will soon become your calling – your obsession. Marathons are for the unstoppable. You suck in air until your lungs are on fire, fire raging inside, knees rising and falling in a choreographed rhythm, heels digging into your buttocks. Hidden away in your own world, in a state bordering on selfishness, you cut off seconds – just to get close enough to touch or wear the greatness.
Just yesterday, at a kabaddi tournament in the village of Nikki Kalan on the Gurdaspur highway, a scene took place that captured the spirit of the sport perfectly. There, among the acres of wheat fields just days before harvest, a young boy less than 15 years old was running around the kabaddi stadium. He ran with such singular concentration that in the end someone had to pull him away, lest he forget that in every athletic pursuit one must eventually stop.
For 48 years, every Indian marathon runner lived in the looming shadow of Shivnath Singh. Decade after decade they languished in the final kilometers, unable to sustain or summon those last few bursts of energy; the “finishing kicks” that make the marathon so punishing and competitive. Shivnath seemed to slip into training, running alongside modern marathoners and pushing them to break his mark.
A virtual legend in long distance running, Shivnath left a mark that seemed permanent. Two years after his fantastic run at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where he finished 11th in 2:16:22, he clocked 2:11:59 (later revised to 2:12:00) at the 1978 National Championships in Jalandhar.
That record stood for 48 years—just two years shy of half a century.
Until April 12, 2026. Things took a dramatic turn for India at the Rotterdam Marathon. Already on pace, 28-year-old marathoner Sawan Barwal blacked out and collapsed just meters from the line. He stood up but fell again as the seconds ticked away. A race volunteer stepped in to help him and from there Barwal staggered forward and pushed through the final stretch to cross the finish line in 2:11:58. It was enough to break the oldest record in Indian athletics, if only by two seconds.
Rio 2016 Olympic marathoner Nitendra Singh Rawat laughs at Shivnath Singh’s spectral painting proposal. “Yes, he was a generational talent. We heard about him – he ran barefoot, his feet were taped – we knew about him. But it was never really pressure. We all ran our own races.”
However, the record remained. Through the heat, dust and various conditions in India and abroad, the brand remained intact until many believed it would simply not break. As predicted, it would require the perfect storm: a flat track like Rotterdam, perfect weather with humidity in the 70s to 80s and perhaps – as strange as it may sound – someone who has never run a marathon before to hit the track fresh. After all, that’s what Shivnath was doing in Montreal; it was also his debut, not counting the previous trial run.
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Surendra Singh, a multiple Asian medalist who represented India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, now a coach, believes it helps when a runner’s mind is not encumbered by previous timing. At the halfway mark, a runner may realize that they feel good and decide to give it their all.
“It was a perfect day for Sawan,” says Surendra. “If he hadn’t faltered in the final stages, he would have clocked almost 2:09.
Surendra agrees that athletes are often compared to the ghosts of men who have done better in the past. He thinks these legends did it at a time when there was nothing – no infrastructure, no high-performance equipment, no advanced coaching and no foreign exposure against world-class competition. Since 1978, every marathon runner has stood in the shadow of a titan like Shivnath Singh.
The legacy looms large. It’s like a bell that rings halfway through telling you that you’re falling off the grid. “The clock is ticking, you have to be faster,” the voice in your head reminds you. Shivnath became synonymous with marathon excellence in India, even as the rest of the world moved 8-10 minutes faster. For context, the world record is held by the late Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum, who ran an extraordinary 2:00:35 in the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Sadly, Kiptum died in a car accident just four months later.
On the morning of April 13, 2026, a new era began. The Indian marathon has once again been injected with a fresh serum. Shivnath gave his heart to the sport 48 years ago and until his last days, he hoped that someone would bring him the news that his record had been broken. He’s no longer here to see it, but if he was, he’d probably be the first to hug Sawan Barwal. No real champion wants a record to hang for decades; it never reads well for the advancement of the sport.
Sawan Barwal, though hiccupped and almost passed out in the final stages of the course, ended up breaking the record by a slender margin of two seconds. It was a psychological barrier that was broken for Indian marathoners. The ceiling was gone.
Rawat is confident that the record will now fall. “It’s always in the mind. Look at any record that’s broken and it’s slowly being attacked by other athletes. We’re good at 2:09, but beyond that we need constant running against world-class competition all over the world.”
Rawat, who has runs of 2:16, believes the key is perfect weather on flat tracks. “Rotterdam was perfect, as was Vienna and several other cities. This group of Sawan, Gopi and Man Singh should now attack at 2:09.”
“I COME HERE TO BREAK THE RECORD”
Hailing from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Sawan says he was ready for this moment. “I came here fully determined to break the national record. I was aiming for a time of around 2:08 to 2:10. I kept that pace for most of the race, especially in the last 2km. But the last leg was quite windy and the weather was cold, so I froze a bit towards the end. Otherwise I would have achieved the time I had planned.”
The blackout near the end almost derailed his dreams. “Overall I ran well and was around 2:10 on the course,” says Barwal. “It was the last 2km that I struggled with. I even poured water on my head, which caused a slight blackout. We can call the last 2km unlucky. Otherwise, I would have comfortably finished even faster.”
The news sent a wave of excitement in Shivnath’s house. “An army coach called and told us the news,” says Arjun, Shivnath’s son. But like a legacy that is passed on, there is a touch of sadness. It’s not because Barwal has broken the record – 48 years is just a long time to give up. The family creates a relationship with the record; their love for Shivnath was physically bound at the 2:12:00 mark.
“I was happy that someone finally broke it,” says Arjun. “But for my mother, Sita Devi, it was tinged with sadness. Don’t take it the wrong way. She saw my father’s hard work. His Asian and Asian medals are a reminder of his greatness, but this record was special.”
More than the lost record, Sita Devi is heartbroken by the lack of recognition. He feels that Shivnath deserved the Padmashri at least. “In 48 years, even the federation didn’t bother,” says Arjun. “I’ll say it again: it’s great to see the record fall. But look at my father Shivnath Singh’s achievements – didn’t he deserve more honour?”
Navigating the intersection of sadness and euphoria is a complex task. Shivnath Singh was a titan of the track. Sawan Barwal now has the talent to take the marathon further in India and cement his own place in history.
The celebrations will continue for a few more days, but soon Barwal will be on the starting line of the Asian Games. Greater things are predicted. As long as there are roads to run on, someone will be out there chasing the horizon. Records will fall, but the legends who set the first marks will always run alongside them.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
13 Apr 2026 14:51 IST
