Ashis Roy

Not to be confused with Ashiesh Roy.

^[needs update]

Ashis Roy

Personal information
Nickname	The Marathon Man of India
Nationality	Indian
Born	(1932-06-01) 1 June 1932 (age 92) Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Education	St. Edmund's College Assam Medical College Pune University
Occupation	Cardiologist
Website	www.marathonmanofindia.com/index.html

Wing Commander Ashis Roy, MD FRCS (born 1 June 1932) is a runner, author, and cardiologist best known as the first Indian man to run 100 marathons.[1] As of 2015, he has completed 145 total races, 115 of which are full marathons.[2][3]

Biography

Roy was born 1 June 1932 in Shillong, Meghalaya, India, the son of sports player and organizer Sudha Sindhu Roy.[1][4] He graduated from the Government Boys' High School in Mawkhar, then attended St. Edmund's College, Assam Medical College (Medical Studies), and Pune University (MD)[4][1] He joined the Indian Air Force in 1957 and served as a Wing Commander until 1978, when he retired after 21 years of service.[1][5] After leaving the military, he became a consulting physician and cardiologist in Chittaranjan Park, Delhi.[1][6]

His daughter Amrita sometimes joins him for races in the US, where she lives.[7] He has another daughter who lives in Canada and a son who lives in London.[4]

Running

Roy's first competitive race was a one-mile run in 1949 when he was 16.[1] He did not run a marathon until the Rath Marathon in Delhi in 1985 after he left the Air Force.[8][1][9] Some of the races he has run include the World Veterans Games (1987) in Melbourne, Australia, the 100th Boston Marathon (1996) in the US, the Millennium Marathon Burlington (2000) in Canada, the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race (2008) in the US, and the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon (2015) in Chicago, Illinois, USA.[1][7]

On 17 January 2010, he became the first person from India to run 100 marathons and was the first Indian ever to join the 100 Marathon Club, which he did in 2015.[1][10][11] In 2013, when he was 81 and had run 115 races, he was listed in the Limca Book of Records as the oldest marathoner in India.[1][12] Roy began running only half marathons after a spinal injury in 2011 left him partially paralyzed.[10]

Publications

• Joy of Running (2009)[13][14]
• Wonderful Joys of Running (2014)[5]

Full marathons run

Roy's full marathons broken down by country[3]

No.	Country	Number of Marathons
1	India	40
2	United States	44
3	Canada	12
4	United Kingdom	2
5	Greece	1
6	Netherlands	1
7	Poland	1
8	Finland	1
9	Sweden	1
10	Norway	1
11	Japan	1
12	Korea	1
13	Malaysia	1
14	Macau	1
15	Australia	1
16	New Zealand	1
17	Russia	1
18	Germany	1
19	Czechoslovakia	1
20	Austria	1
21	Pakistan	1
	Total	115

Achievements

Year	Age	Achievement	Location	Notes	Ref
1992	60	First Indian to run a marathon at age 60			[15]
1999	66	Only Asian to have run marathons in the USA on three consecutive Sundays	USA	Toledo Glass City Marathon, Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon	[16][17][18][19]
2003	71	First Indian age 70+ to run in two European marathons on consecutive Sundays	Europe (Czech Republic, Austria)	Prague International Marathon and Vienna International Marathon	[20][21][22]
2007	75	First man 75+ to run 8 marathons within 8 months			[15][23]
2009	76	First Indian marathoner to publish a book about marathons		The Joy of Running	[4]
2010	77	100th race run	Mumbai, India		[11]
2012	80	Best Sports Person of the Year	India	Presented by the Union Ministry of Social Welfare	[4]
2015	83	Induction into the 100 Marathon Club	Mumbai, India	First Indian to be made a member	[4][11]
2015	83	Run with Me Foundation Runner of the Year Awards - Lifetime Achievement Award			[24]

References

1. Sarma, Ramala (30 March 2018). "Meet the Marathon Man of India". Northeast Now. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
2. "Ashis Roy, 83, takes his marathon tally to 145". The Pioneer. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
3. "Delhi man Ashis Roy, 81, takes marathon tally to 133". Business Standard India. Business Standard. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
4. "Marathon marathoner". The Shillong Times. 7 April 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
5. Tankha, Madhur (18 March 2016). "The man who never stops running". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
6. Sinha, Anil (1 January 2011). "At 78, Ashish Roy is marathon man of India". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
7. "Ashis Roy, 83, takes his marathon tally to 145". The Sentinel. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
8. "India's Ashis Roy, 78, completes 110th marathon". sify news. 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
9. "WELCOME TO 6 NEW MEMBERS". 100 Marathon Club North America. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
10. "Delhi man Ashis Roy, 81, takes marathon tally to 133". myKhel. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
11. "Ashis Roy completes 102nd marathon". Assam Tribune. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
12. "India's marathon man Ashis Roy completes 90th marathon". NTI. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
13. "Sport set-up in India needs to be changed: Ashis Roy". The Times of India. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
14. "100 Marathon Club North America Newsletter #45" (PDF). 100 Marathon Club North America. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
15. Bhaduri, Partha (28 November 2009). "Around the world in 100 runs". Times of India. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
16. "The MPSC Conundrum". The Shillong Times. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
17. "Toledo Glass City Marathon 1997 Results". Archived from the original on 8 July 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
18. "1999 timed results". Cleveland Marathon. n.d. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
19. "1999 Results". Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. Archived from the original on 12 June 2008. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
20. Roy, Abhishek (12 November 2007). "Septuagenarian Ashis Roy's romance with marathons". Two Circles. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
21. "Press Release - Prague International Marathon - 5/18/03". Marathon Guide. 18 May 2003. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
22. "Marathon Man". Tribune India. 2003. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
23. Kumar, Arun (23 August 2008). "India's marathon man Ashis Roy completes 85th marathon". TwoCircles. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
24. "Winners, Runner of the Year Awards 2015". Runner of the Year Awards. 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2021.