70-year-old blind runner completes 100th 10K

Kandivali resident Amarjeet Singh Chawla has every reason not to pursue running.

- Yael Ajgarni

He lost his eyesight in his 40s due to macular degeneration. He underwent an open-heart surgery in 2024 and turned 70 this month. On Sunday, Chawla left home at 5am, got into a cab booked by his wife, reached Powai, and completed a 10km run, his 100th run in this category. With the help of three escorts, he crossed the finish line as his eyes welled up.Chawla, who goes by the name ‘Sporty Sikh’ on social media, has run 6 ultra marathons, 162 half marathons, in addition to the 100 10Ks.

On January 18, he'll be running his 163rd half-marathon at the Tata Mumbai Marathon. In the next two years, he also plans to raise that figure to 201.