He Fought A Life-And-Death Battle To Break Indian Athletics' Oldest Record — Yet Sawan Barwal Barely Made Headlines

A week ago, on April 26, Kenya's Sebastian Sawe created history by finishing the London Marathon in under two hours. From Kenya to countries around the world, celebrations followed Sawe's stunning run. But just two weeks earlier, at the NN Marathon Rotterdam, 28-year-old Sawan Barwal from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, fought what he describes as a life-and-death battle to break Indian athletics' oldest standing record - a 48-year-old mark. Yet, barring a few newspapers, Barwal did not receive the mainstream attention such a feat deserved.

Back home in Mandi, wedding celebrations are set to begin on May 4, with Barwal busy preparing for his marriage. But taking time out for an exclusive conversation with NDTV, he spoke about the thrill of breaking Shivnath Singh's 48-year-old national record of completing men's marathon in 2:12:00 set at the National Championship in Jalandhar in 1978. Sawan Barwal, clocked 2:11:58 in the very first marathon of his life.

Barwal, along with coaches Yunus Khan and Scott Simon, believes marathon culture in India has grown rapidly and that the future of Indian marathon running is bright. In this NDTV Exclusive, he opened up about his struggle, the record, super shoes, and targets from the 2026 Asian Games to Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Q: April turned out to be a record-breaking month for marathon running. Sebastian Sawe's sub-two-hour run stunned the world. What you did in Rotterdam for Indian marathon running was no less remarkable. The story of your finish is especially dramatic. Tell us about it 

Sawan Barwal: Yes, absolutely. This was the first marathon competition of my life. About 100 to 150 metres before the finish line, I had lost my rhythm. In the last 50 metres, I blacked out. But in my mind, two things were running - I had to finish the race, and I was thinking about our senior Shivnath Singh's record. I had to finish this race at any cost. I am very happy that I completed the marathon in 2:11:58 and broke Shivnath sir's record of 2:12:00 by two seconds.

Q: Were you aware of the significance of Shivnath Singh's record before breaking it?

Sawan Barwal: Shivnath sir was also in the Army, so all long-distance runners speak of him with great respect. Everyone knows his record very well. He created that remarkable mark at the Jalandhar Marathon in 1978. To better his timing is a matter of pride for me.

Q: How has your journey been from 5,000m and 10,000m races to the marathon?

Sawan Barwal: During my school days and earlier, in the hills of Jogindernagar in Mandi I used to run only 5,000m and 10,000m races. I won many medals at the state and national level. In 2019, I joined the Army through the sports quota. From 2021 to 2025, I again focused on the 5,000m and 10,000m events. Athletics Federation coach Scott Simon told me I should run the marathon. Over the last two to three years, I started training with coach Scott Simon and coach Yunus Khan in Kannur, Wellington and Ooty. Under coach Scott Simon's training, I have become a much better marathon runner in practice.

Q: How much you can improve on this record? 

Sawan Barwal: As I told you, this was my first marathon competition. Naturally, I now have much better experience. In Rotterdam, I also felt a lot cold during the race. In real terms, I had only around six months of preparation for it. I still need to do high-altitude training in Wellington and Ooty. If I get the chance, I will go to Kenya too. There you get many running groups, which helps your preparation. There are pacers in marathons as well. It is not easy to run a marathon alone. My coaches say I can even break the 2 hours 8 minutes barrier.
As for other Indian marathon runners, the culture has improved a lot in the last seven to eight years. I cannot name anyone specifically, but there are several athletes you will soon see running very good marathons for India.

Q: After Sebastian Sawe's sub-two-hour marathon, there has been huge talk around Adidas' super shoes, the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. What do you think of it? 

Sawan Barwal: Sebastian Sawe is an amazing athlete. He too started marathon running only a few years ago and quickly began breaking records. Earlier, he used to run as a pacer. I feel he could have broken records wearing any shoes. 

Because of the record, there is a lot of discussion around his shoes - Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. I run wearing ASICS shoes, which weigh 158 grams. Those shoes are also very good.

Q: What are your targets now, and how does the road ahead look for Indian marathon running?

Sawan Barwal: I am excited by the timing I managed in my first marathon. I will definitely run faster than this in the future. I will try to do better at the Asian Games 2026 and also at Los Angeles 2028.

Indian athletes will do well in marathon running going forward. Look at Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru marathons - 30,000 to 40,000 people take part. Even in parks today, you can see people running. In the coming years, many Indian athletes will perform strongly in marathons. India has a lot of talent in marathon running and athletics.

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