Kavita Jhingan, a 42-year-old dentist and a sports enthusiast from Delhi, landed in Mumbai after getting married in 2007. In 2012, she got divorced and it took a toll on her self-confidence. She ended up staying alone in the city with constant fatigue and the sadness brought in a feeling of worthlessness which led to depression, and Kavita had to seek help of a psychologist. Each day became a struggle for Kavita, and her happy attitude changed into a gloomy one where she even struggled to step out of the house.
One day, she met her Dad’s group of diabetic patients who used to go cycling regularly. She also noticed that not only they maintained their blood sugar levels, but also managed to keep their sadness and complications at bay. This made Kavita take up cycling after almost 3 decades. She rode her brand-new Scott 670 Aspect mountain bike all the way from Carter Road, Bandra, to Andheri West, which was almost 12 KMs. She was quite excited and eager to go on a ride next morning.
A few days later, she had a bad fall where she hurt her shoulder and couldn’t cycle for months. Gradually, Kavita started to go for morning walks at Juhu Beach where she saw people preparing for a marathon. She has always been a 100/200-meter runner. She never thought that even 2KMs will be possible but gave running a try. During her practice, she met Sharanam Shah, Shivani Mehrotra, and Gaurav Bedi who together went on to participate in every running events.
In June 2017, Kavita did her first ever 5 KM promo run, which changed a lot of things in her life. In 2018, she ran her first 21K at Tata Mumbai Marathon and there was no looking back. Since then, she has completed 40+ 10-KM runs, 18 Half Marathons including Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, a 25 KM run, 12+ Army Style Obstacle Runs and Trail Runs.
Running has taught Kavita a lot of things, including acceptance and however difficult the situation to, just move on and do not stop or compare yourself with others. Sometimes, you maybe alone in your journey, but every so often, you will find that awesome tribe that helps you go on. Kavita found her tribe – Golden Eagles on time which she is forever grateful for. They not only helped her survive, but also help her in conquering her own fears.
If your Sisterhood supports you through your lows and encourages you to conquer over your doubts, share your story with us at tatasisterhoodofrunning@procam.in