A little jog in Nehru Park, Delhi, India

I’m in India for the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race, a 5-day 160 km ultramarathon. But since it took me nearly 36 hours to get from my home in Port Alberni, to my hotel in Delhi, I needed to stretch my legs. I had a 24 hour stopover, before continuing east to the foothills of the Himalaya, where my race started. The staff at the Hotel Ashok suggested I run back and forth on the lawn in front of the hotel, but I said no, I’d heard that there was a park nearby that was good for running.

So they sent me off to Nehru Park, which is really just across the road from the hotel. (Although, let me tell you, crossing a road in Delhi is quite an adventure. Every hour a pedestrian or cyclist or driver is killed on the roads in Delhi). I went for a walk there to check it out my first afternoon, and was quite surprised to see how peaceful it was. Ground squirrels, similar to our chipmunks in Canada, were all over the place, and I also saw lots of crows, mynahs, some sort of hawk, and a few squawking flocks of green Indian parakeets!

I barely managed to get across the road back to the hotel – I got stuck on the median by the roundabout, with traffic coming at me from three directions (including backwards on the roundabout!). I finally made a mad dash and managed not to enter myself into the gory statistics. The next morning, I returned at 6:30 am for a jog before my flight out, and was pleasantly surprised to find hundreds of joggers and walkers on the trails (including three women).There are paved walking trails, and also a dirt jogging track around the park which is about 2.5 km long. I did a gentle 30 minute jog, just enough to get my body moving, then headed back to the hotel for my flight out to the race. (These photos were taken a week later, after the race, when Norwegian racer Marit Holm and I went for a stroll to stretch our stiff legs).

A peaceful place for afternoon strollers…

…but in the morning, it’s the joggers who dominate the trails.

Marit cleverly camouflages herself as a flower.

Lots of couples and families.

And me! Definitely a nice and peaceful escape from the craziness of Delhi.