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Hassan Esufally on endurance, commitment, and mind over matter

09 Dec 2018

Adventure marathoner Hassan Esufally is fully geared to tackle the Antarctic Ice Marathon – the only official marathon run on mainland Antarctica – taking place at 80° south, just a few hundred miles from the South Pole in the interior of Antarctica, on 13 December. Hassan is the first Sri Lankan in history to complete “The Big Five Marathon” and the very first Lankan to finish the “Inca Trail Marathon” and is very well known to all for his achievements. Esufally has been able to place our country on the map like never before. With the aim of being the first Sri Lankan to be granted permission to enter the very exclusive, prestigious club of the “7 Continents Marathon Club”, Hassan Esufally has been training his body and mind to accomplish feats others would not dare take on. Talking to The Sunday Morning Brunch ahead of his feat, Esufally was able to help us gain an insight as to what his training and preparations are. When it comes to endurance training, what kind of workout and diet regimen do you follow? Mondays: 5 km run Tuesday and Thursday: Strength and condition training Wednesday and Friday: High intensity and interval training Saturday: Cross training which means I get to swim, cycle etc. Sunday: Long run 25 km training The week before the marathon is when you taper which means slowing down and taking it easy. I don’t have a diet as such, but I have five rules that I follow. I eat four small meals for a day; each of these meals is a combination of complex carbohydrates and lean protein. The meal is about a fist and a half or two fists so I don’t count calories, which makes it less complicated. I use low sodium, low sugar and low-fat seasonings and I follow an 80%-20% rule, where out of the 35 meals I have in a week, 28 will be in line with the aforementioned ratios but seven would be food that I like to indulge. I believe in having a balance. When you have a balance, it becomes your lifestyle. I have been following this regimen since 2012. What advice do you have for people who wish to embark on similar missions? Maintain a vision in your mind to achieve your goals, be persistent, write your goals down, which helps you keep focused, learn to overcome the momentary roadblocks and finally, and most importantly, maintain a positive outlook – come what may! How does your training process differ from traditional gyming? I train mainly for performance rather than aesthetics. I believe this kind of training puts you in a great mindset as you are trying to improve your fitness; and this translates into other areas of your life like business, financial relationships, financial education, and relationships. Personally, I feel this is a much more mentally healthy way of living. Is it really mind over matter when it comes to completing a marathon? Absolutely, the mind plays a big part. Before you start, you have to believe that you can do it. What I do first before starting any goal – whether it be in fitness, work, or personal – is write down what I want to achieve and most importantly why I want to do it. When I am training I imagine what the finish would look like and how it would feel. Then I work my way backwards from the big picture, down to the small details. Finally, I formulate a plan that is going to get me from where I am to where I want to be and I take action to follow through with this. I also meditate every day for about 10 minutes, which puts me in a positive state of mind and clears any stress. And finally, I think one needs to have an intrinsic belief in their abilities. When and how did your ambitions pertaining to the 7 Continents Marathon Club begin? During my time at the University of Melbourne in 2014, I saw an advertisement for the Melbourne Marathon. I was determined to take part in the marathon even though I just had three months to train for it. I have always loved fitness and health, and taking part in the marathon was a personal challenge for me. At that time, I was the Tennis Captain of the University of Melbourne and I had played several sports throughout my school years including athletics, swimming, and football. So I arduously trained myself for three months by following a training plan in order to take part in the Melbourne Marathon. After finishing the Melbourne Marathon, I had this immense sense of achievement and satisfaction. The feeling of personal accomplishment was indescribable. I just wanted to keep on going. The plan for the 7 Continents Marathon Club began after I ran the Melbourne Marathon for the second time in 2016. My wife and I were discussing the future, and we just came up with it over dinner and from then onwards the goal began to take shape. It took many months of planning, and in the case of my final marathon – the Antarctic Ice Marathon – it took me almost eight months to get accepted into the race. What has been your favourite marathon to date and why? All the marathons I have done have had something special about them. It’s amazing to travel to some of the most exotic places in the world and achieve something great for Sri Lanka. I’ll start by saying the ones I am most proud of are the Ironman because I now have that title for life and also the Inca Trail Marathon because I am the first Sri Lankan to have finished the world’s hardest marathon. However, my all-time favourite was the Big Five Marathon which was epic, as it meant running the wilds of Africa with the animals roaming freely – lions too, but they were kept at a safe distance by the rangers. When on safari, you are not permitted to step out of the jeep, so this was a unique opportunity. This marathon was authentically African.

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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