Dare to Run - The Book In May 2010, Amit and Neepa became the first Indian husband-wife team to stand on the finish line of the 89-km Comrades Ultra Marathon -The Ultimate Human Race. In this collection of essays, Amit takes us with him, from his first short jog on a Mumbai beach, to the finish line of the Comrades Marathon. Along the way, he shares his unique perspective on running, life, religion and spirituality. These essays will motivate and inspire you not only to run but also to test and push your limits, to conquer your fears and above all, to relentlessly pursue your dreams and passions.
About Amit Sheth Entrepreneur/Bestselling Author/Athlete/Motivational Speaker
Education:
M.B.A. University Of Lowell, U.S.A,
M.S., (Plastics Engineering) UMass Lowell, U.S.A.
L.L.B (G) University of Bombay.
Amith Sheth as an Entrepreneur Established RuHI: (Runners for Hope Initiative)
RuHI is a charity for the treatment of children suffering from cancer and being treated at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.
Profession:
Worked for General Electric Plastics in the United States of America and The Netherlands as Manager Business Development. (1992 – 1995).
Established Skydomes India Pvt Ltd in 1995. The Company is involved in Manufacturing and Installing Commercial and Residential Skylights.
Member: Managing and Executive Committee of Shri Vile Parle Kelavni Mandal. SVKM is an Educational Trust which manages educational institutions such as NMIMS, NM College, Mithibai College, DJ Sanghvi Engineering College etc.
Amit Sheth as a Speaker Amit is a dynamic speaker who will make your business meeting special and exciting by motivating your audience with stories of perseverance and courage. Amit is a regular speaker at corporate events, business meetings, and company strategy sessions. He is able to draw parallels between the business world and the challenges faced by an athlete. He does this using interesting and humorous anecdotes from the races he has run around the world. In telling his story, he is able to inspire his audience to excel and push beyond their zone of comfort not only in their business environment but also in their personal lives. Tata Trent, Siemens, Ranbaxy, L&T, IL&FS, Blue Star and the GMR Group are only some of the many corporate houses which have energized their teams by having Amit present his story to them. Amit is comfortable addressing not only large audiences of 2500+ people but also smaller groups of 40 to a 100 people.
Amit Sheth as an Athlete
Started running at the age of 38 and in the last 7 years has run over 25 Marathons and Ultra Marathons around the world.
Was the first Indian to Run the Two Oceans Ultra -Marathon (56 km) South Africa (2008).
Was the first Indian to Run the 89 km Comrades Ultra Marathon - The Ultimate Human race. South Africa. (2009). Has since run it again in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Has been appointed International Brand Ambassador by the Comrades Marathon Association. Comrades has been run since 1921.
Has been recognized by the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, as an athlete who has contributed to promoting the sport of running in India.
Why Amit Runs? At the age of 38, I was already far along my chosen road. I was the quintessential businessman engaged in the marketplace of life. A marketplace full of chaos. The chaos of the mind, which lives either in the past or in the future. My yardsticks for evaluating a happy and successful life were very limited.
The closest I came to Nature during a normal day was when I touched newspapers made of paper. The only clean air that I inhaled was that filtered by the air-conditioners. I did not see the glory of a sunrise but the glow of a television screen.
The person that I knew the least was myself because I spent all my time looking outside myself rather than within.
Frost wrote: “Knowing how way leads on to way; I doubted if I ever should come back.” But, I did change the road that I was on and have since realized that one need not choose between roads.
In 2006, I ran the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon and embarked on a great new adventure. Training for and running that marathon changed my life. Since then, I have run marathons and ultra-marathons all over the world. From the countless runs in the small streets and by-lanes around India, France, Italy, South Africa, Ireland, Czech Republic and the United States, I began to love the beauty of existence and that of Nature. I realized that to get the most of life, I must live not only in the present but also do so right away whatever it is that I want to do.
Running has given me a sense of pride and accomplishment and at the same time taught me the futility of having a sense of pride and accomplishment. And it is only in these contradictions of life that we can find what is true.
Running, I feel, has made me a better human being.
I am no longer the person I used to be before I started running. My beliefs have changed and what I have come to believe, for now, is that I don’t need to choose a particular road in life and stick to it rigidly. I can and must meander amongst and traverse through all of life’s roads and enjoy the pleasures they afford.
