Anubhav ran his first Hyderabad Marathon in 2013, finishing in 5 hours 18 minutes. 12 Years later, he returned to the same race and won the open category, finishing in 2 hours 37 minutes.
In this episode of Run with Fitpage, Vikas talks to Anubhav about the undulating nature of the course particularly. Anubhav explains why runners should stop chasing a finish time and instead learn to identify their upper limit of effort through the race.
He breaks down how to approach the major climbs and downhills, why overstriding can create problems later in the race, and how preemptive walk breaks can sometimes be a smarter strategy than waiting until fatigue forces you to stop.
The conversation also covers race-day nutrition and hydration, carbon versus non-carbon shoes, tapering in the final weeks, recovery, and carb loading before race day.
This is an episode for everyone running the Hyderabad Marathon this Sunday, and it will be especially helpful for runners looking to understand how to approach the course, manage effort on the climbs and downhills, fuel and hydrate through the race, and stay within their limits for a strong and sustainable race experience.
In this episode we covered -
1 - Anubhav's journey from running his first Hyderabad Marathon in 2013 in 5:18 to winning the open category in 2025 in 2:37
2 - Why runners should avoid a fixed finish-time target and instead use training to identify their upper limit of pacing
3 - How to use the early flat section of the Hyderabad Marathon to understand sustainable effort before the climbs begin
4 - Why uphill sections should be run by effort rather than pace, and why runners need to be conservative when the climbs come early
5 - How to approach downhill sections, why overstriding can create mechanical overload, and the importance of training downhill running
6 - Why preemptive walk breaks can be a smart race strategy, rather than waiting until fatigue forces you to stop
7 - How to manage hydration and nutrition around climbs, including adjusting the timing of intake based on the length and intensity of the climb
8 - Carbon versus non-carbon shoes, why carbon shoes are not essential, and why runners should avoid trying untested footwear on race day
9 - How to approach the final days before the race, including tapering, recovery and carbohydrate intake
10 - The importance of knowing your limits, prioritizing health and enjoying the race experience over chasing performance
About Vikas Singh:
Vikas Singh, an MBA from Chicago Booth, worked at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, APGlobale, and Reliance before coming up with the idea of democratizing fitness knowledge and helping beginners get on a fitness journey. Vikas is an avid long-distance runner, building fitpage to help people learn, train, and move better.
For more information on Vikas, or to leave any feedback and requests, you can reach out to him via the channels below:
Instagram: @vikas_singhh
LinkedIn: Vikas Singh
Twitter: @vikashsingh101
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