(L-R) Vishal Gondal, Vandit Panvelkar, Dinesh Thakur after completing the GOQii Trail Challenge
From everything you have heard about the GOQii Trail Challenge, you’re aware that it puts your limits to the test. The endurance event challenges you, shapes you, breaks you and after each step closer to the finish line, it transforms you with an overwhelming sense of joy of having completed the arduous trail! While GTC is not a race, you can’t deny a human’s ambition to fight against all odds, battle time and fatigue and still hold the desire to win. Does completing a 50km trail that snakes through rough terrain within 8 hours seem impossible? Our very own Dinesh Thakur was able to do this after starting 30 minutes late! How did he do it?
Who Is Dinesh Thakur?
Dinesh Thakur has been a part of GOQii since 2014, working in the Logistics Department. He is 31 years of age and lives with his parents in Mumbai. Before the GOQii Trail Challenge, he didn’t have anything specific that he was looking forward to. He just wanted to experience the trail, enjoy nature and get his mind off everything – much like most of us today.
Apart from playing cricket with his colleagues on a daily basis, he wasn’t into any specific activity. He enjoyed it as it helped him alleviate a lot of stress. When the GTC was announced, he decided to walk a total of 7km from his home to the office and back home every day in order to get used to walking. To achieve this, he even locked his bike in the garage, not using it at all.
Unfolding Destiny
During the trail, Dinesh Thakur was not meant to be a participant despite the fact that he trained for it. He was at the venue as a part of the support team. His participation wasn’t planned although he wished to test himself against the trail before him. When the other participants embarked on the trail, he couldn’t just stand there. The will to achieve sparked within him and he incessantly convinced his manager to let him walk too.
Who’d deny a man’s passion? His manager gave him the signal and Dinesh rushed the trail 30 minutes after the other participants. For someone who wanted to reach the finish line first, this was a clear disadvantage. However, it did not deter him and he decided to compensate for his lost time by not taking any breaks throughout the entire trail.
Grit, Guts and Broken Shoes
At this point, Dinesh’s only strategy was to keep walking until he reaches the finish line. He wasn’t geared enough as he didn’t carry a proper pair of shoes as he was only going to volunteer. In fact, he didn’t even carry a bottle of water. He got one at the first checkpoint.
As he reached Checkpoint 3, the sole of his shoes gave way. He had to tie it with a string so that it wouldn’t come apart. Using his wits, he decided to take his shoes off and walk in just socks on flat terrains, saving the shoes for rocky and difficult patches. By the time he reached Checkpoint 4, he was exhausted. He had to request support for an energy bar to fuel him.
With that being his fuel, Dinesh raced on when he came face to face with his competition – another participant who was vying for first place. Dinesh and his competition were neck-to-neck as they inched towards the finish line. His supposed opponent, a little ahead, tried his best to block Dinesh on a narrow path. This continued for quite some time. When they came close to the finish line, Dinesh decided it was all or nothing and gave his opponent a shock by coming from behind, jumping over a bush and landing on the finish line ahead of him. With nothing but grit and guts, Dinesh was the first one to complete the trail in 8hours and 12 minutes.
Recounting the Experience
Dinesh praises the location chosen for the trail. He loved the fresh forest path, the water bodies which he encountered and the encouragement he received from the locals. He says it was a memorable experience and him finishing the trail before anyone was just a cherry on the proverbial cake. In his own words he says, “I never realised when I started and when I completed it. All I knew was that I had to keep walking.”
There are so many things one can take away from this story. Whether you’re ready or not, prepared or unprepared, at the end of it, it is your determination which counts and your willpower which pulls you through. That’s the real trick – your own determination and willpower!
We hope you’re excited for GOQii Trail Challenge 2019! We know we are ready to #BeTheForce!
Running keeps you fit! It’s a tried, tested and approved fact. Now, whether you’re running to lose weight, catch a bus you’re obviously late for or running away from your problems, at the end of it there will be change. If you must run, can your goals be kicked up a notch? Can they mean something more? One man decided to push the envelope of what’s possibly the ultimate test of strength, endurance and mental fortitude. Have you heard of the Super Runner, yet?
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