In long-distance running, the Mumbai Marathon is by far the most high-profile event on the Indian racing calendar. It gives a chance for these, otherwise, little known sportspersons a chance to come on TV and with it earn some much-needed exposure which is hard to come by.

Army man Srinu Bugata does not quite adhere to such trappings.

On Sunday at the Mumbai Marathon, Bugata pulled off a surprise of sorts as he out-paced some of his much fancied contempararies to finish third among the Indian athletes in what his first-ever appearance in a professional marathon.

But, ahead of the much-hyped event, Bugatha chose not to ask them to watch him on television. “I didn’t want to disappoint them since this was my first marathon,” said Bugatha, who finished with a time of 2:23:56 with was bettered only by Services teammates Gopi T (2:16:51) and Nitendra Singh Rawat (2:16:54), who finished first and second respectively.

Bugatha, justified his decision by adding that he wasn’t quite pleased with his performance. “The way I practiced, I wasn’t happy with my result. I didn’t run well at all,” said Bugatha.

Humble beginnings 

Born in Vijaynagar, Andhra Pradesh, Bugatha’s parents were farmers and he was their only child. He used to love playing kabaddi, kho-kho and cricket and helped his parents on the farm often.

“I never wore shoes till I joined the army. I used to play in slippers or barefoot,” said Bugatha.

After he passed his 12th grade exams, he decided to join the army immediately. “I was 17 when I joined the army. Life has completely changed after that,” said Bugatha.

During his time in his village, he used to eat a lot of rice, which was the staple diet. Now, he focuses on his diet and fitness.

The 24-year-old army man is posted in Madras Engineer Group, Bangalore and competes in cross-country races, 5000 metres and 10,000 metres races. Before Sunday, a marathon was never on his radar. After the experience, though, Bugatha is keen on continuing his training for the long-distance race.

During a training camp three years back, a few army personnel saw Bugatha run and suggested that he should take up sports. Since then Bugatha hasn’t looked back.

“I never thought that I will achieve all this when I joined the army at 17. I took to running as a sport because I wanted to check my capacity and stamina. I then fell in love with it.

“Playing in shoes was so comfortable. The medals are just a bonus I believe,” said Bugatha.

First race in seven months

He has set high standards for himself, though.

“I wasn’t too please with my timings today. I am not at all happy with my performance. Even though this wasn’t my category, I was training for this event for the past four months. I used to run almost 50kms as part of my training,” said Bugatha.

“I was training in Dharamsala and really put in a lot of effort. I practiced really hard and was aiming for 2:15, 2:14,” he added.

However, before this race, Bugatha was nursing a hamstring injury that saw him forced to sit out of competetions for seven months. But, is honest enough to admit that he continued to train on the sidelines, without any reservations.

Bugatha idolises runner Milkha Singh and was ecstatic when he met him last year.

“He is my idol. He even saw me run in Bangalore and complimented me. I was so happy,” said Bugatha.

Olympic dream

Bugatha now aims to compete in the Marathon event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The Mumbai Marathon was the first step towards his ultimate dream.

“I wanted to know what I was lacking because I want to compete at the marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” said Bugatha.

However, his short-term focus, though, is on the upcoming Asian Games and Commonwealth Games where he will compete in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events.

“I am just 24 and if I focus on a marathon from today, it might end up hampering my speed. My focus this year is Commonwealth and Asian Games. I will start preparing for the Tokyo Olympics from next year,” said Bugatha.