Repeat win for Shashwat Rao in Malnad 100

At the 7th edition of Malnad Ultra in Karnatika, India, last week, ATM Grandmaster Shashwat Rao repeated his victory from last year. On an amended course with a new start and finish venue, Rao was a class on his own and finished in 12h14’ - more or less the same as twelve months ago. The men’s podium was completed more than two hours later by Nakul Butta and Deepak Rajput. In the women’s 100k, victory went to Soma Datta in 18h12. She was approx 50 minutes faster than Anuradha Bhat and Bindu Juneja.

The 50km was a lot tighter with the first three men finishing within eight minutes and the entire top ten within 32 minutes from the race winner. That winner was Philippe Policisto, who held off Sreejin Thankamani and James Thomas. The women’s 50km saw Trupti Katkar Chavan take top honours, ahead of Singapore’s Anna Tipping and Sandhya K.

Shashwat Rao wins again in the biggest trail event of his home country