ENDURANCE ON ICE AN INDIAN'S DASH TO THE SOUTH POLE

When Robin Behl wrapped up a bruising year of jiu-jitsu tournaments, mountain summits and relentless coaching hours, he expected a breather. Instead, in the quiet that followed a punishing climb in Mexico, he felt something stranger: a hollow, lingering sense of 'now what?!'-a question that has now carried him all the way to the Antarctica Ice Marathon, which begins in mid-December

- By Sharan Sanil

The Mumbai-based trainer and athlete—known for pushing himself with the same intensity he brings to clients like Ibrahim Ali Khan, Adarsh Gourav and more—briefly considered Everest as his next frontier, before realising the toll that two months of high-risk climbing places on everyone around him.

Antarctica, oddly, felt more sensible. A friend sent him a link to the world’s southernmost marathon and within hours, Behl was deep into research, logistics, and the possibility of becoming the fastest Indian to ever run on the frozen continent.

Since June, 29-year-old Behl has trained with monastic discipline: long runs at dawn, jiu-jitsu strength rewired into endurance, nutrition rebuilt around fuel rather than weight cuts, and a recovery schedule strict enough to make injury an unacceptable variable. Ahead of his departure in the middle of December, Behl broke down the mental rewiring, the techniques needed to survive temperatures of up to -40º, the sponsorship hustle, and the sheer will required to run 42.195 kilometres on a slab of Antarctic ice. Excerpts:

When did the idea of running the Antarctica Ice Marathon come to you?

I climbed one of the most dangerous mountains in the world last year in September, and it took me some time to recover mentally and physically. Post-recovery, I was a little empty. You're standing on top of the world one moment and then the next moment...you’re in Bombay.

It was a super-emptying feeling. I initially decided that I'm going to do Everest this spring-summer. I made up my mind and started setting out to collect funds and sponsors because it’s super expensive—it takes 50 to 60 lakhs to mount an expedition. But when I spoke to my family and my girlfriend, I realised it's a little selfish. I'm not doing this alone; there are people who stress with me. It didn’t feel right. So, I took a step back. I went back to Mexico last December.