Sunil DeSouza BY K.B. NAIR
LOS ANGELES, CA - Los Angeles resident Sunil DeSouza is now in Sao Paulo , Brazil to support the efforts of Vishwas Bhamburkar a 40 yr old male from Ahmedabad, Gujarat and is currently one of India’s top ultramarathon runners to complete the gruelling Brazil135 ultramarathon in 48 hours. This 135 mile race to be held from January 17 to 19 is run on the hardest segment of the Caminho da F (Path of Faith), the most...
LOS ANGELES, CA - Los Angeles resident Sunil DeSouza is now in Sao Paulo , Brazil to support the efforts of Vishwas Bhamburkar a 40 yr old male from Ahmedabad, Gujarat and is currently one of India’s top ultramarathon runners to complete the gruelling Brazil135 ultramarathon in 48 hours. This 135 mile race to be held from January 17 to 19 is run on the hardest segment of the Caminho da F (Path of Faith), the most...
difficult Brazilian pilgrimage path. The course boasts about 30,000 feet of cumulative ascent and 28,000 of cumulative decent and by the finish line the runner will have completed a course that is analogous to climbing up and down Mt. Everest. Bhamburkar is the very first Indian to be invited to this prestigious run.
Success in completing such an event of such magnitude can only be achieved with a solid team of experienced runners and Bhamburkar has chosen DeSouza to head his team. DeSouza has recruited ultramarathoner Tom Chapman of Great Britain, and marathoners Arvind Bijwe (Pune, India), Ben Sumague (Corona, CA) and Janna Chapman (San Francisco, CA). Strangely enough Bhamburkar and DeSouza hooked up through Facebook and met for just half a day in Mumbai last year. But in that period Bhamburkar had been impressed by DeSouza’s reputation for putting together teams for such events and entrusted the job this year to him. The responsibility of the crew members is to ensure that every detail from travel, accommodation, running gear, proper hydration and nutrition, medical attention, pacing strategy, rest stops, and monitoring the health condition of the runner throughout the race are taken care of to the minutest detail.
The entire team needs to be trained and fully fit because during during the entire 60 hour race Bhamburkar will have one crew member taking turns in running with him, pacing him, encouraging him, and communicating via 2-way radio with the rest of the crew about the runners mental and physical condition and what is required at the next aid station. The crew also has to be aware of the psychology and mindset of the runner and how that can rapidly change during the course of the run and ensure that he runs smart and safe. It takes completing the course in 60 hours to be successful but race that also be lost at any time due to injury, insufficient nutrition and poor strategy.
The Brazil135 does not offer any cash rewards for completing the course and neither does any Association sponsor the Bhamburkar or his crew. All expenses are being met through the groups personal funds and when asked what their incentive was for participating if the rewards are just a medal and belt buckle, DeSouza said it was their passion for running. The goal of the team is to get Bhamburkar complete the race in 48 hours which would get him an automatic entry into the prestigious Badwater Ultramarathon to be held in Death Valley in July 2014.
Bhamburkar started running less than 5 years ago and has quickly graduated to running Half-Marathons and Marathons. He ran the Athens Classic Marathon in 2010 on the original Marathon route from Marathon to Athens in Greece which was held to commemorate the 2500th year of the run. He has since graduated to running ultra-marathons having successfully completed the tough Bhati Lakes 100-mile Ultra marathon and the ‘debilitating by heat’ 100-miler Thar Desert Ultra.
Success in completing such an event of such magnitude can only be achieved with a solid team of experienced runners and Bhamburkar has chosen DeSouza to head his team. DeSouza has recruited ultramarathoner Tom Chapman of Great Britain, and marathoners Arvind Bijwe (Pune, India), Ben Sumague (Corona, CA) and Janna Chapman (San Francisco, CA). Strangely enough Bhamburkar and DeSouza hooked up through Facebook and met for just half a day in Mumbai last year. But in that period Bhamburkar had been impressed by DeSouza’s reputation for putting together teams for such events and entrusted the job this year to him. The responsibility of the crew members is to ensure that every detail from travel, accommodation, running gear, proper hydration and nutrition, medical attention, pacing strategy, rest stops, and monitoring the health condition of the runner throughout the race are taken care of to the minutest detail.
The entire team needs to be trained and fully fit because during during the entire 60 hour race Bhamburkar will have one crew member taking turns in running with him, pacing him, encouraging him, and communicating via 2-way radio with the rest of the crew about the runners mental and physical condition and what is required at the next aid station. The crew also has to be aware of the psychology and mindset of the runner and how that can rapidly change during the course of the run and ensure that he runs smart and safe. It takes completing the course in 60 hours to be successful but race that also be lost at any time due to injury, insufficient nutrition and poor strategy.
The Brazil135 does not offer any cash rewards for completing the course and neither does any Association sponsor the Bhamburkar or his crew. All expenses are being met through the groups personal funds and when asked what their incentive was for participating if the rewards are just a medal and belt buckle, DeSouza said it was their passion for running. The goal of the team is to get Bhamburkar complete the race in 48 hours which would get him an automatic entry into the prestigious Badwater Ultramarathon to be held in Death Valley in July 2014.
Bhamburkar started running less than 5 years ago and has quickly graduated to running Half-Marathons and Marathons. He ran the Athens Classic Marathon in 2010 on the original Marathon route from Marathon to Athens in Greece which was held to commemorate the 2500th year of the run. He has since graduated to running ultra-marathons having successfully completed the tough Bhati Lakes 100-mile Ultra marathon and the ‘debilitating by heat’ 100-miler Thar Desert Ultra.
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