After 30 years of retirement, 91-year-old NS Dattareya feels fit enough to come back to the ground.

Bengaluru :

NS Dattareya, a 91-year-old man, who recently ran the 5km ‘Run for Unity’ marathon in the city, has become an inspiration not just to policemen and citizens. Netizens have taken to social media to heap praise on him as well.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru East, Isha Pant, tweeted a picture of the nonagenarian on the day of the run, calling him an inspiration. Soon, several people, including Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao, reacted to the post and lauded Dattareya for his zeal and passion.

Dattatreya developed an interest in marathons and walkathons in January this year. After his first race in January, he started urging his son, Murli, to participate in more and more marathons with him so that they could inspire youngsters. S

Soon, they both started a routine of running 5 km every morning.

Dattareya maintains a healthy diet that includes as many greens as possible. He said that his record of fitness goes back to his school days, when he a part of the football team. However, when he joined State Bank of Mysore as a manager, he could not keep up with sports.

After 30 years of retirement, he feels fit enough to come back to the ground.He runs 5-10 km daily, but he ‘cheats’ on Mondays. With more than 50 medals and 10 trophies in his kitty in less than a year,  5km is no big deal for him. As an athlete, he has covered distances of more than 20km in one go.

“Every weekend I search for places where I can run,” he said. Dattatreya will represent India in the 21st Asia Master Athletics Championship in Malaysia on December 2 this year.“Everywhere, we are able to feel the energy, josh and love, which is nothing less than motivation,” he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Rhia Cyril / Express News Service / November 04th, 2019