HarshManRai

Yesterday, I drove through Jalandhar. In Model Town, Adarsh Nagar, and New Jawahar Nagar, massive bungalows and lush greenery, flanked by high-end boutiques. Nearby, the 66 Feet Road boasts Eco County and Hamilton Towers - new havens for the wealthy. I wasn’t scouting for a house; I was searching for Shivnath Singh. I wanted to understand how, in 1978, Shivnath ran a marathon on May 28th. Today’s tree-lined avenues and paved roads didn't exist then. Jullundur, as it was known, baked under an unforgiving sun that routinely touched 42 degrees. Had the sun slipped behind the clouds for just one hour, that record might have stood at 2:08. The breaking of his 48-year-old record felt personal. I remember my old scrapbook, its cover plastered with black-and-white photos of Shivnath, Sriram Singh, Edwin Moses, and Alberto Juantorena. That the record stood for nearly half a century wasn’t for a lack of talent; it was a lack of the “Shivnath Grit.” (Trademark that, AFI). When modern Indian runners claim they could clock 2:09 in “favourable conditions,” I am seriously puzzled. It is absurd and insensitive to a man who created a 48-year marker in a furnace. His friend, former steeplechaser Prabhakara Rao, recalls: “A week before the marathon, his father passed away. He travelled back in an unreserved compartment, won the 10,000m in under 29 minutes by lapping Hari Chand, then ran that marathon in a summer where even the dawn feels like a heater.” Shivnath wore basic Adidas shoes bought in Japan - nothing like today’s tech. What would that “complete package” have clocked in 2026 Rotterdam with modern gear? “2:07 or close,” Rao laughs. “He was world-class. You can’t imagine that talent.” And then, a reminder of what that record truly meant: his son, Arjun Singh, recently shared a photograph of the original certificate - the one that stood for 48 years. Not just a statistic, not just a time, but a piece of history. The kind you don’t just archive, but hold on to forever. #sawanbarwal #shivnathsingh #48yearoldrecord #athletics