Meet Kartik Karkera, the doctor who also wins marathons

Until January 2025, Kartik Karkera had never attempted a marathon. Middle distance had caught his interest since he had first taken to running. His reason to run the MVP Marathon in Nashik, Maharashtra, came from a need, followed by a proposition—if he won the race, the medical institution he was employed at was ready to grant him leave to train for the National Games in Uttarakhand in February of that year.

“I was mostly running 1,500m races at the time, though I’ve always liked to explore distances. The decision to sign up for a full marathon was spontaneous,” Karkera, 28, recalls. Winning on his marathon debut was one thing; Karkera got the course record as well (2 hours, 20 minutes). And if critics wrote it off as beginner’s luck, he had more in store a year later.

At the Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) on 18 January this year, Karkera surged past a stellar field featuring defending champion Anish Thapa and two-time winner Srinu Bugatha to take the win among the Indian elites and finish 10th overall. Until the 35km mark, he was on track for the course record as well, but struggled with the humidity and suffered cramps that slowed him down. He got across the finish line in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 55 seconds, a personal best.

“I trust the training and thrive on my competitive nature. I don’t get stressed going into a race because I have nothing to lose and a lot to gain,” he says. The win was scripted to perfection, a first-timer pipping the favourites to take top spot at India’s biggest race. The subplot was as compelling, considering Nashik-based Karkera is a practising orthopaedic surgeon, popularly known as “Doctorsaab” in his running circle. “I go by that name with all the athletes I train alongside, even my coach. I’m quite used to it now,” he says, laughing.

Karkera’s progress is a lesson in patience while pursuing a passion he discovered later on in life. A decade ago, he had just about settled into medical school in Russia and started competing in polyathons—an event that features five disciplines. It also involved running and Karkera realised he was a natural. In the past, his only connection with running was while playing hockey for St. Francis D’Assisi in Mumbai. And through his father, Jayraj, an aspiring runner during his university days, who had to give up on his dream due to circumstances.

Two years after picking up running, Karkera geared up for his first race, representing Tambov State Medical University in the 3,000m. He finished second to last, though satisfied with the timing and eager to continue building on his progress. “It was a tough race. I got to know what competitive running is all about,” he says.

The early days were easy. Over time, balancing a more structured training routine alongside the studies got challenging. He would be on the track by 5am, often finishing his stretching in the shower, then hurriedly gulping down breakfast on his way to university. Running was gradually evolving into a lasting affair, one that was also tearing him apart. He considered dropping out of medicine, until his father talked him out of it.

“I would often be in tears because I wasn’t able to manage things. Those days were really difficult, both physically and emotionally,” he says. He finished his MBBS in 2021 and then specialised in orthopaedics and trauma in Moscow, a field he got interested in due to running. He landed an opportunity to train under Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy, the 800m gold medallist at the Athens Games in 2004. For consecutive years (2021, 2022), Karkera was the university champion in the 1,500m. And though he didn’t make much of it at the time, he won his first half marathon in Moscow in 2023.

“My medicine degree helped me become more productive and remain injury free in training. For instance, after a long, hard session, I knew the things that would help me recover faster and get me back on the track,” he says. A promising career beckoned in medicine as well. But Karkera wanted to be closer to family and decided to move back to India, well aware that he would have to start building his practice again. Towards the end of 2023, he appeared for the Foreign Medical Graduates Exam and during the year-long internship that followed, moved base to Nashik.

“I looked for a place that had professional infrastructure that would allow me to train alongside work. And I had heard of Vijendra Singh from Nashik who has coached some of the top athletes in the country,” he says. Middle distance continued to be his first love—he is a state gold medallist in the 800m, 1,500m and 5,000m. At a meet in Kochi last year, he broke the Maharashtra state record in the 1,500m that had stood for 29 years. Then came the first marathon win that got him dreaming. He soon started taking up consultations and assisting surgeries in a way that wouldn’t hamper his training and racing schedule.

“Once I realised endurance was my thing, I thought of working towards making the cut for the Asian Games in 2026. Training for the shorter distances has helped me develop good speed for marathons,” he says. The Tata Mumbai Marathon was to test his readiness before the New Delhi Marathon on 22 February. “The top-2 in Delhi get picked for the Asian Games. I needed a fitness check and running at home in Mumbai was a good place to do it,” he says.

There was a twinkle in his eye as he waved to the crowd when he heard his name, while all along, trying to keep pace with the leading pack. Once the pace maker dropped off around the 29.5km mark, Karkera made his move. He suffered towards the end but pushed on undeterred. A hundred metres from the finish, he knew he had done enough and broke into a celebration, oblivious to the competition on his heels. “I’m not completely into athletics, you can call me a working class runner. I try to engage with people and if I inspire one person to take up a sport, I feel like I’ve played my part,” he says.

That moment arrived at the end of the race. A parent told Karkera that she would continue pushing her child to chase sport alongside education. It was as satisfying as winning the biggest race of his life.

Shail Desai is a Mumbai-based freelance writer.