Episode 9 of Tracking Dirt delved into the deep thoughts of Vishwas Sindhu, who is no stranger in the trail and ultrarunning community in India. Vishwas is the founder and Race Director of Hell Race, who organise 7 races (across 6 events) in India, each with its own cult following. With a mix of challenge and excitement baked in varying quantities, Vishwas is also notoriously called the 'creator of hell' in the Indian running scene. Or maybe it's just an aura that follows him around.

We caught up with Vishwas a week after Red Stone Ultra 2024 and covered a lot of ground in a rather unfiltered manner. While some of the F-bombs have been censored out, this conversation still borders on the two extremes of 'what the H' and 'what the F'.

This is also the first time an episode of Tracking Dirt has been recorded in Hindi. The full transcript of this episode is available on the CapitalTrails blog, to be able to give reach to the conversation for people who are not fluent in or familiar with Hindi. This is an important conversation!

--- Links:

- Episode Transcript: https://capitaltrails.in/post/tracking-dirt-education-support-trail-running-vishwas-sindhu-complete-episode-transcript

- Vishwas on Instagram: https://instagram.com/fakkadkalam

- Hell Race website: https://thehellrace.com

- Hell Race on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thehellrace

- Hell Race Sports Foundation website: https://hellracesportsfoundation.org

- HRSF on Instagram: https://instagram.com/hellracesf

Talking Dirt is written, recorded and produced by the team at CapitalTrails (special mention to Sarthak Pandey for helping with the transcription)

- Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://capitaltrails.in⁠⁠⁠

- Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/capitaltrailsrc⁠⁠⁠

- Email: ⁠⁠talks(at)capitaltrails.in⁠⁠

- Kshitish on ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Strava⁠

--- Music

- Analytic Show Logo by Serge Quadrado

- The Perfect Corporate Podcast Intro by Lundstroem

- Free Music Archive: ⁠⁠⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/

Wishing you all a very happy new year 2024 - we're back after a #lifehappens break and all ready to set things in motion.

To kick things into gear, we have Dighvijay Jedhe, the Founder and President at Western Ghats Running Roundation (WGRF) which is the team that organises the prestigious 'fort running' races in the Sahyadri mountains - the Sinhagad Epic Trail (SET) and the Sinhagad-Rajgad-Torna Ultramarathon, popularly known as the SRT Ultra. Dighvijay, a farmer and entrepreneur, is also the founder at Canyon Sandals. Last but not the least, he's the Indian National Representative for organisers at ITRA.

Dighvijay takes us through chapters of Indian history and the origins of the Great Maratha Empire and how his family's deep-rooted connections with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has shaped the beginnings of WGRF. The conversation goes into how Shivaji's legacy is being carried forward by WGRF in the form of empowering the local communities via the two WGRF mountain trail races in the Sinhagad area.

Dighvijay also delves deep into how SRT Ultra and SET came into being, who the key people instrumental in setting up the races were, how the races grew in popularity, what challenges the team has faced, and what future plans he holds for the races.

This is one of many conversations we'll be bringing Dighvijay on for. Listen to the complete episode for a trail run through 17th century Indian history - the Sinhagad tales. --- Dighvijay on Instagram - WGRF: ⁠⁠https://instagram.com/westernghatsrunning - Canyon Sandals: https://instagram.com/canyonsandals - Personal: ⁠⁠https://instagram.com/dighvijayjedhe --- Kshitish - Instagram: ⁠⁠https://instagram.com/kshitishpurohit⁠⁠ - Strava: ⁠⁠https://strava.com/athletes/24060164⁠⁠ --- Talking Dirt is written, recorded and produced by the team at CapitalTrails - Website: ⁠⁠https://capitaltrails.in⁠⁠ - Instagram: ⁠⁠https://instagram.com/capitaltrailsrc⁠⁠ - Email: ⁠⁠talks(at)capitaltrails.in⁠⁠ --- Music - Serge Quadrado: ⁠⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/serge-quadrado/⁠⁠ - Lundstroem: ⁠⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lundstroem/⁠⁠ - Free Music Archive: ⁠⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/

[WE'RE BACK AFTER AN UNINTENDED-YET-EXTENDED BREAK]

Nakul Butta⁠ is back in conversation and we talk about CapitalTrails - how it started, what we do, where we're headed, and so on!

We've been working on building a trail running community in the NCR since 2019. Since then, we've taken more than 100 city runners on trails, got a really great bunch of ~40 regular active trail runners, contributed to various local and grassroots causes, educated people, started a podcast, explored and mapped trail routes - and we talk about all of that in this episode.

This episode was recorded around the end of May 2023 but could not get ready and published because of a lot of commitments at home and at work. As a result, while the conversation is a bit old, the perspectives and thoughts are as fresh as ever and we're firing on all cylinders. Enjoy as you learn more about CapitalTrails.

---

CapitalTrails

• Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/capitaltrailsrc

Nakul

• Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/nakul.butta⁠
• Strava: ⁠https://www.strava.com/athletes/19793552⁠

Kshitish

• Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/kshitishpurohit⁠
• Strava: ⁠https://strava.com/athletes/24060164⁠

---

Talking Dirt is written, recorded and produced by the team at CapitalTrails

• Website: ⁠https://capitaltrails.in⁠
• Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/capitaltrailsrc⁠
• Email: ⁠talks(at)capitaltrails.in⁠

---

Music

• Serge Quadrado: ⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/serge-quadrado/⁠
• Lundstroem: ⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lundstroem/⁠
• Free Music Archive: ⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/

In what is an honest-to-goodness conversation on how authenticity, honesty and environmental sensitivity are the key building blocks of trail running values, Neetu Singh strings together her experiences and thoughts on the moral considerations for when we're out on the trails or in the mountains.

Neetu started trail running seriously some time in 2020. From there, soon after, she did what everyone in an urban life only dreamt of - she left her comfortable corporate job to head out to the mountains, by herself in her car, just to explore, learn and see where life would take her. Drawing from her experiences as a speaker at the UN's Sustainable Development Goals Global Action Summit in 2019, to her journey from rock climbing to trail running to mountaineering to ultra running to life in general, Neetu is a true embodiment of the values of outdoor sports and activities.

In no particular order, we talk about:

• What a value system is and why it is important to have one
• Examples and similarities between codes of conduct for different outdoor sports
• Honesty and authenticity as the most important pillars of outdoor activities
• The 'Leave No Trace' principle and how to be environmentally aware and sensitive
• The role of individuals, clubs/organisations and higher institutions in instilling values
• Various other musings

---

Neetu

• Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/neetuusinghh
• Strava: ⁠https://www.strava.com/athletes/49437769

Kshitish

• Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/kshitishpurohit⁠
• Strava: ⁠https://strava.com/athletes/24060164⁠

---

Talking Dirt is written, recorded and produced by the team at CapitalTrails

• Website: ⁠https://capitaltrails.in⁠
• Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/capitaltrailsrc⁠
• Email: ⁠talks(at)capitaltrails.in⁠

---

Music

• Serge Quadrado: ⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/serge-quadrado/⁠
• Lundstroem: ⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lundstroem/⁠
• Free Music Archive: ⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/

Runner and prosthodontist Dr. Manav Kalra joins us to science out some basic concepts behind oral health in endurance sports - more specifically, trail and ultra-distance running. Dr. Manav is a certified Digital Smile Designer, which simply means that he's an artist with teeth. Dr. Manav gives a clinician's perspective and draws from his experience both in the field of dentistry and as a runner to share some real knowledge and wisdom on the topic. And while this is not training advice, Dr. Manav's insights can be built into any training plan for any type or length of activity.

In no particular order, we talk about:

• Why oral health is important and what complications can neglecting it lead to
• What's the science behind endurance activities and what's happening in the mouth
• Steps runners and athletes can take to mitigate the risks
• How oral hygiene can be built into a daily practice
• Examples from research that has been conducted on this topic worldwide
• Various other musings

---

These resources and articles were referenced as secondary research:

• https://www.irunfar.com/are-endurance-athletes-a-dentists-worst-nightmare
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35199625/
• https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/endurance-athletes-cavities-research-2022/
• https://www.trailrunnermag.com/nutrition/daily-nutrition-nutrition/shoes-check-gels-check-toothbrush/
• https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/gum-disease/how-poor-dental-care-can-affect-your-overall-health#

---

Dr. Manav

• Instagram: ⁠⁠https://instagram.com/drmanavkalra
• Strava: https://strava.com/athletes/18544578

Kshitish

• Instagram: ⁠⁠https://instagram.com/kshitishpurohit⁠⁠
• Strava: ⁠⁠https://strava.com/athletes/24060164⁠⁠

---

Talking Dirt is written, recorded and produced by the team at CapitalTrails

• Website: ⁠⁠https://capitaltrails.in⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠https://instagram.com/capitaltrailsrc⁠⁠
• Email: ⁠⁠talks(at)capitaltrails.in⁠⁠

---

Music

• Serge Quadrado: ⁠⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/serge-quadrado/⁠⁠
• Lundstroem: ⁠⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lundstroem/⁠⁠
• Free Music Archive: ⁠⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/⁠

Kaustav Saha joins us as we list down 10 trail runner archetypes in the Indian running and racing scene. You'll find them on Whatsapp groups, trail running communities, and on the trail itself. And what's more - not only do we see them everywhere, we've all also BEEN these characters at some point in our running journey. Listen along for a showdown and your virtual encounters with 10 most commonly found species of trail runners in Indian events.

Kaustav is an up and coming trail runner from Delhi/NCR who has been shining at some really tough mountain races. From Buddha Trails 30k to Solang SkyUltra 30k (both in 2022) to Red Stone Ultra 50k and the recently held Buddha Trails 65k, the only thing that can beat his race timings is probably his talking - which comes as a perk with his profession as a lawyer AND a teacher of law.

In no particular order, we talk about:

• 10 types of trail runners in the Indian events circuit
• What it means to be each of these
• Why one should or should not (mostly should not) be any of these
• Some notable mentions that didn't really make the cut
• Approve-o-meter ratings for all these encounters
• Various random banter (including our very first f-bomb)

---

Kaustav

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/kaustavsaha93
• Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/64739017

Kshitish

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/kshitishpurohit
• Strava: https://strava.com/athletes/24060164

---

Talking Dirt is written, recorded and produced by the team at CapitalTrails

• Website: https://capitaltrails.in
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/capitaltrailsrc
• Email: talks(at)capitaltrails.in

---

Music

• Serge Quadrado: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/serge-quadrado/
• Lundstroem: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lundstroem/
• Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/

Nakul Butta talks about what it means to be a self-sufficient trail runner and how a culture of self-sufficiency can be built in the sport of trail running.

Nakul has been a part of the Indian running scene for over a decade and a half and has been a top finisher in many road, cross-country, trail and mountain races in the country. Along with being a co-founder at CapitalTrails, Nakul is the founder and head coach at All In Running - which is one of India’s only holistic and community-driven training organisations with a focus on strength, nutrition, physiological health AND mental health for running, trail and mountain sports. Nakul is also a champion for the running community and organises a lot of awareness and contribution initiatives for rural and underprivileged runners, towards environmental impact organisations, and for local sports in general. As a trail runner, outdoors athlete and coach, Nakul has been spreading awareness and building a practice of self-sufficient running, racing and lifestyle in the outdoor circles.

In no particular order, we talk about:

• What self-sufficiency is and why it is important
• How runners and athletes can start becoming self-sufficient
• How self-sufficient running is actually a performance enhancer in races
• What steps event organisers can take towards ensuring self-sufficiency
• Where general awareness and educational opportunities lie
• Various other musings

---

All In Running

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/allinrunning

Nakul

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/nakul.butta
• Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/19793552

Kshitish

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/kshitishpurohit
• Strava: https://strava.com/athletes/24060164

---

Talking Dirt is written, recorded and produced by the team at CapitalTrails

• Website: https://capitaltrails.in
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/capitaltrailsrc
• Email: talks(at)capitaltrails.in

---

Music

• Serge Quadrado: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/serge-quadrado/
• Lundstroem: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/lundstroem/
• Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/