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Ashis Roy
Personal information
Nickname(s) The Marathon Man of India
Nationality Indian
Born (1932-06-01) 1 June 1932 (age 93)
Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Education St. Edmund's College
Assam Medical College
Pune University
Occupation Cardiologist

Wing Commander Ashis Roy is a famous Indian runner, author, and heart doctor. He is best known for being the first Indian man to run 100 marathons. By 2015, he had finished 145 races in total. Out of these, 115 were full marathons. He was born on June 1, 1932.

About Ashis Roy

Ashis Roy was born in Shillong, Meghalaya, India. His father, Sudha Sindhu Roy, was a sports player and organizer. Ashis went to school at Government Boys' High School. He later studied at St. Edmund's College and Assam Medical College. He also earned a special medical degree from Savitribai Phule Pune University.

In 1957, he joined the Indian Air Force. He served as a Wing Commander for 21 years. He retired in 1978. After leaving the military, he became a heart doctor. He worked in Chittaranjan Park, Delhi. Ashis Roy has three children. One daughter lives in the US and sometimes runs races with him. Another daughter lives in Canada, and his son lives in London.

His Running Journey

Ashis Roy started running competitively in 1949. He was 16 years old then. His first race was a one-mile run. He did not run a full marathon until 1985. This was the Rath Marathon in Delhi. He started running marathons after he left the Air Force.

He has run in many famous races around the world. These include the World Veterans Games in Australia in 1987. He also ran in the 100th Boston Marathon in the US in 1996. In 2000, he ran the Millennium Marathon in Canada. He even took part in the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race in the US in 2008. In 2015, he ran the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

On January 17, 2010, he made history. He became the first person from India to complete 100 marathons. In 2015, he joined the 100 Marathon Club. He was the first Indian ever to become a member. In 2013, when he was 81, he was listed in the Limca Book of Records. He was named the oldest marathon runner in India. After a back injury in 2011, he started running only half marathons.

Where He Ran Marathons

Here is a list of the countries where Ashis Roy completed his full marathons:

Roy's full marathons broken down by country
No. Country Number of Marathons
1 India 40
2 United States 44
3 Canada 12
4 United Kingdom 2
5 Greece 1
6 Netherlands 1
7 Poland 1
8 Finland 1
9 Sweden 1
10 Norway 1
11 Japan 1
12 Korea 1
13 Malaysia 1
14 Macau 1
15 Australia 1
16 New Zealand 1
17 Russia 1
18 Germany 1
19 Czechoslovakia 1
20 Austria 1
21 Pakistan 1
Total 115

Major Achievements

Ashis Roy has achieved many great things in his running career:

Year Age Achievement Location Notes Ref
1992 60 First Indian to run a marathon at age 60
1999 66 Only Asian to run marathons in the USA on three Sundays in a row USA Toledo Glass City, Rite Aid Cleveland, Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathons
2003 71 First Indian over 70 to run two European marathons on consecutive Sundays Europe (Czech Republic, Austria) Prague International and Vienna International Marathons
2007 75 First man over 75 to run 8 marathons within 8 months
2009 76 First Indian marathoner to publish a book about marathons The Joy of Running
2010 77 Completed his 100th race Mumbai, India
2012 80 Named Best Sports Person of the Year India Awarded by the Union Ministry of Social Welfare
2015 83 Joined the 100 Marathon Club Mumbai, India First Indian to become a member
2015 83 Received Lifetime Achievement Award From Run with Me Foundation Runner of the Year Awards
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