From the polar night, midnight sun run in Tromso, Norway and Estonia’s short running circuits through the heritage town of Tallin, to Chiang Mai in Thailand and Putrajaya in Malaysia, night runs are popular in far flung corners of the world. The Tata Ultra Marathon (TUM) is an annual footrace that takes place in Lonavala, Maharashtra, and is one of the many night runs in India today. First held in 2018, the event will see its sixth edition taking place in February 2023.

Two marathons – the 50kms Ultra and 35kms Tata Challenge Run – happen simultaneously, kicking off within hours of each other with no gender bar. The two categories that do apply are the open category for those below 45 years of age and the veteran one for those 45 years and above.

What makes the Tata Ultra run special is also the intriguing nature of the terrain, with the route cutting through the undulating hills and valleys of the Sahyadri range, pushing runners to test their endurance to the optimum. The scenic landscape, while a tough one to traverse, is dotted with lakes and forts.

Two seasoned runners we interacted with – Geeja Bhattacharjee (GB), an assistant general manager with Tata Consultancy Services and Kashyap Mody (KM), who heads investments at Reliance Industries, with several national and international marathons under their belts – share their personal experiences of running the Tata Ultra Marathon in the photo carousel below.