About Me
I Wasn't Born an Athlete. I Just Learned Not to Stop.
One Journey. Many Finish Lines.
I'm Uttam Mallya, a Bengaluru-based endurance sports enthusiast, an IT professional by weekday and an adventure seeker whenever I can find the time.
My journey into endurance sports didn't begin with a finish line, a race medal or a grand ambition. It began back in 2013 with a simple goal: to get fitter.
Running was my starting point. What began as a way to lose weight slowly became something much bigger. One run led to another, 10Ks turned into half marathons, and eventually, full marathons became part of my life.
Over the years, I've crossed many finish lines, travelled for races, experienced difficult training days and discovered that the biggest victories often happen long before race day.
But somewhere along the way, I wanted to find out what else I was capable of.
From the Road to the Open Water
Running had become familiar territory. Swimming and cycling were a completely different story.
When I decided to explore triathlon, I was stepping into two disciplines where I had plenty to learn.
Swimming was probably the biggest reality check. There was a time when even 75 metres of continuous freestyle felt like an achievement. Breathing, technique and confidence in the water were all works in progress.
The pool was only the beginning. Open-water swimming introduced a whole new world of challenges waves, sighting, currents, confidence and learning to stay composed when you cannot see the bottom.
Cycling brought its own learning curve: understanding the bike, getting comfortable with longer distances, managing nutrition, learning pacing and eventually combining it with running through brick sessions.
There were no shortcuts. Just patience, practice and a willingness to keep showing up.
The Finish Lines So Far
Over the years, endurance sports have taken me from local running events to marathon courses.
Some milestones stand out:
Nine full marathons over three years. Across 2 at Adani Ahmedabad, 3 at TMM Mumbai, 3 in NDM New Delhi & one at Berlin.
First World Major - Berlin Marathon 2026 with 4:29 hrs
A marathon personal best of 3:31hrs at the New Delhi Marathon in 2026.
A 10K personal best of 44 minutes.
2026 Bengaluru Marathon: Half-marathon personal best of 1:43hrs
The BMF 2.0 & Bergman Bangalore Olympic-distance triathlon. 3:31 hrs
And, on 1 November 2026, my first IRONMAN 70.3 Goa, completed in 6:43:31.
Why This Blog?
This isn't a blog about being the fastest athlete or having the perfect training plan.
It's about the experience of becoming better, one session at a time.
Here, I'll share:
Running: Marathon preparation, race experiences, training lessons and the occasional personal best.
Swimming: Learning freestyle, pool sessions and the challenges of open water.
Cycling: Long rides, bike learnings, equipment, routes and race preparation.
Triathlon: Training blocks, brick sessions, race simulations and lessons from competing.
Travel & Adventures: The places, people and experiences that make endurance sports memorable.
The Numbers Behind the Journey: Training data, race results, nutrition, equipment and honest reflections on what worked — and what didn't.
I also want to share the setbacks, mistakes, doubts and unexpected lessons, because those are often the parts that teach us the most.
What's Next?
Completing my first IRONMAN 70.3 was never meant to be the end of the story.
There are still more roads to explore, more open water to swim, more mountains to climb, more finish lines to chase and plenty of things I haven't learned yet.
I'm still figuring things out, still training, still learning and still curious about how far this journey can go.
If you're a runner, swimmer, cyclist, triathlete, someone thinking about starting, or simply someone who enjoys following a good endurance story, I hope you'll find something here that keeps you coming back.
Because this is not just about reaching one finish line. It's about everything that happens on the way there.
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