A group of teenagers from Noida went viral on Instagram after they attempted a commute most people would never consider – running all the way from Noida to Gurugram to reach their college.
A video posted by Instagram user Aryan Popli shows him and his two friends attempting the unusual challenge in broad daylight. The trio, all 19, documented their journey as they ran from Noida Sector 18 to Gurugram’s Master Union College, crossing several parts of Delhi-NCR on the way.
The video’s caption summed up their motivation: “Early start, long commute, but we’ll still show up.”
In the clip, the teenagers begin by explaining the idea behind their unusual challenge. According to them, it usually takes about two hours by taxi to travel from Noida to their college in Gurugram, which led them to wonder if it was even possible to run that distance.
“What happens when you try to run from Noida to Gurgaon, let’s find out. Is it possible to run from Noida to Gurgaon? Let’s try,” says Aryan Popli.
“We stay in Noida but our college is all the way to Gurgaon. It takes us 2 hours to travel by taxi,” he added.
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The group eventually decided to test the idea, despite knowing the challenge ahead. Their starting point was the Mall of India in Noida, and they took just five hours for the class.
“So we decided, what if we run instead? And this will be our last route. Our starting point is the Mall of India. We only have 5 hours to get to class.”
Watch the viral video here:
As the run began, the friends began tracking their progress in Delhi-NCR, documenting key milestones along the way.
After about 10 kilometers of running, they realized that the challenge was turning into something much bigger than expected.
“10km north in Delhi. By the way, it’s only an Aryan who has run 40km before. And this is almost a full marathon,” shared the trio.
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The video also shows them stopping briefly near India Gate, where Aryan jokingly challenges his friends to do push-ups before continuing their run.
As the journey progressed, the physical strain began to show. At one point, one of the runners suffered a seizure, forcing the group to stop. The clip also shows bystanders stepping in to help as the runner struggled with pain.
Despite the exhaustion, the friends decided to push through the last part of their run.
“We’re almost there. This is one of the hardest things we’ve ever done. And I can see my college from here.”
The video ends with the trio sprinting the last few meters.
“The last 100m finish. Come on!”
The unusual commute to college has now caught the attention of social media users, with many praising the teenagers for their determination and adventurous spirit.
One user wrote: “I love it when people use their free will like this, I think that’s what we need. hats off bros (wish I started running when I was in college).”
Another user wrote: “This is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while dude! hats off.”
“Good use of free will,” wrote a third.
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In fact, one of the professors also appreciated their efforts and wrote, “Extra traffic for this effort!!”
(This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Livemint has not independently verified and does not endorse these claims.)
