On the Road to 1000 Marathons; From Tropical Mumbai to Hamburg’s Icy Trails

Sivabalan Pandian(MM13150) –New Year 2026 Greetings to all my well wishers ,
In the calendar year 2025, I accomplished 119 full and ultra marathons in 7 countries, despite being 67+ years old and dealing with a frozen left shoulder for over 2 years, which affected my timings to sub 8 hours for most races.
My achievements included series of 10 marathons in countries like the UK, Spain, Italy, and Austria, and 15 marathons in
15 consecutive in India. Also did 11 in 12 days in US too .

BUT IN THE YEAR 2026 , I COULD WALK 4 FULL MARATHONS ON 3,7,10&11 JAN ONLY ON FULLY COVERED WHITE SURFACE OF SNOW AND ICE IN THE SURROUNDINGS OF HAMBURG – NORTHERN PART OF GERMANY .
Frank Schmidt Marathon- 3 Jan , Finish Time – 8:44:58
OZ Marathon- 7 Jan , Finish Time- 9:31:07
Aparte Außenmühle Marathon – 10 Jan , Finish Time – 9:28:49
Leroy Sané Marathon – 11 Jan , Finish Time – 9:34:35

THESE 4 MARATHONS WERE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR ME BEING ROAD RUNNERS WITH NEW WINTER SHOES AND SPIKE ATTACHMENTS. MOSTLY I WALKED WITH ALL PRAYERS AND FINISHED SUB 10 HOURS .
I couldn’t see any soil surface during these 4 marathons and temp was around minus – 15 C which was first time in my life .
I live in Mumbai and also Southern part of India where no snow is possible because of warm climate but with all God’s support could able to complete these 4 full marathons on snow/ice which will remain as memory in my life time .
I will do very well the similar kind of ice/ snow marathons in the winter with all kinds of preparation by accepting the new challenges.
Wishing all runners happiness and success, even in challenging conditions like snow and ice with proper preparations.