Ready for the run of her life

• Published date: 01 March 2020
• Publication title: Sunday Times

Nishreen Savanghan has always been a fitness enthusiast, as a child and as the 39-year-old mother of two she is now. However, taking up long distance running was more of a challenge than she thought. Despite this, her determination to push herself to the limits has seen her become the first Sri Lankan woman to enter the Ultra X Marathon run to be held from March 23-27.

But this is not her only aim, for Nishreen has a much bigger cause that is close to her heart - she will use her run to raise funds for the Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama. This week, Nishreen gives us an insight into her journey, as she prepares to take on the biggest run of her life.

From an early age Nishreen loved trying out any sport. As she got older, she would do everything from gymming to cycling and swimming. The decision to try running came to her suddenly, and one morning in 2018 she got a few of her friends from the gym together and went to a nearby running track.

It didn't come naturally to her, however. 'I found that I couldn't run 100m without my lungs being on fire, it was very difficult and I was struggling. I was very disappointed in myself,' Nishreen tells us. But she never gave up and kept trying, and gradually 100m became the full 400m circuit.

Nishreen Savanghan

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