In a breathtaking display of endurance and precision on the streets of the national capital, 28-year-old Dr. Kartik Karkera stormed to victory in the men’s elite category at the 11th edition of the Cognizant New Delhi Marathon, clocking a personal best of 2 hours, 13 minutes and 10 seconds (2:13:10).
The Mumbai-born, Nashik-based orthopaedic surgeon not only claimed the national title but also etched his name into Indian athletics lore by becoming the third-fastest Indian marathoner of all time, while comfortably breaching the Asian Games qualification standard of 2:15:04.
Karkera held off a fierce challenge from two-time Olympian Gopi Thonakal (2:13:12) and seasoned campaigner Man Singh (2:13:15), with the top three Indians finishing within five seconds of each other all three automatically qualifying for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan this September. The razor-thin margins and sub-2:13:15 times marked one of the strongest collective showings by Indian men in a domestic marathon in decades.
The AFI-certified National Marathon, which saw over 30,000 participants from 31 countries and 490 cities, was flagged off by Olympic medallist Vijender Singh and tennis star Rohan Bopanna. While the elite women’s race was won by Thakor Nirmaben Bharatjee in 2:41:15 (short of the 2:31:52 Asian Games mark), the men’s podium delivered pure drama and renewed hope for Indian distance running.
Just five weeks after producing the fastest Indian performance at the Tata Mumbai Marathon (2:19:55 on January 18), Karkera’s Delhi masterclass confirmed his rapid ascent from part-time runner to genuine international contender. His Delhi time shattered his own previous best and moved him to No. 3 on the all-time Indian list, displacing Man Singh to fourth and sitting behind only the legendary Shivnath Singh’s long-standing national record territory and one other historic mark.
From Operation Theatre to Podium: Karkera’s Remarkable Journey
Born and raised in Mumbai to a Mangalorean family, Kartik Karkera discovered running almost by accident. In December 2016, during his second year of MBBS at a university in Russia, he signed up for the university’s sports trials simply to stay active amid a demanding medical curriculum. Running, he quickly realised, was the one discipline that fitted perfectly around his studies.
A month-long high-altitude training camp in Kenya in 2022, sponsored by his university, gave him his first taste of serious long-distance culture. He has since become a familiar face at the annual Mangalore Marathon, where he reconnects with his roots.
After completing his MS Orthopaedics and clearing the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination, Karkera was posted to Dr. Vasantrao Pawar Medical Hospital in Nashik under a one-year government bond. In 2024 he made the strategic move from Mumbai to Nashik not just for work, but to carve out a sustainable routine that allows him to train seriously while fulfilling hospital duties.
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Under coach Vijender Singh for the past two years, Karkera has steadily built his engine. His shorter-distance personal bests are already impressive: 1500 m in 3:44, 5000 m in 14:21 and 10 km in 29:32. Until late 2025 he had completed only two full marathons one in Nashik in January 2025 and another in Moscow in September 2025, where he entered as a pacer.
Mumbai Momentum: First Non-Army Indian Winner
At the Tata Mumbai Marathon in January 2026, Karkera announced himself on the national stage in spectacular fashion. Running his first competitive full marathon on home roads, he clocked 2:19:55 to win the Indian elite men’s title — becoming the first non-Army runner to do so in the event’s history. He edged out Anish Thapa and Pradeep Choudhary while battling humidity, the notorious Peddar Road climb after 30 km, and late cramps that he managed with the clinical composure of a surgeon: salt tablets, shortened strides and sheer willpower.
With the Asian Games qualification now secured in emphatic style, Karkera’s immediate focus shifts to September in Japan. But his long-term dream remains the Olympics. A national medallist and multiple state champion in shorter distances, he has gradually embraced the marathon’s unique mental and physical demands.
As the Indian athletics community celebrates one of its most inspiring stories, Kartik Karkera’s journey stands as powerful proof that excellence in medicine and elite sport are not mutually exclusive. From the cold Russian winters where he first laced up his shoes to the sun-baked roads of Delhi where he rewrote the record books, Dr. Kartik Jayraj Karkera has shown that with passion, planning and perseverance, even a surgeon’s scalpel and a runner’s stride can march in perfect harmony.
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India will be watching closely as he prepares to carry the tricolour to the Asian Games and perhaps, one day, to the Olympic starting line.
