23:33 makes him youngest sub-24 hour finisher in the United States
SARATOGA, California, August 31, 2012 – Nishad Singh today announced his world-record-breaking performance in the August 18-19, 2012 Run-de-Vous 100-mile ultramarathon. Nishad’s time of 23:33 shaves 18 minutes from the previous world record of 23:51.
“The 24-hour time is an important psychological and physical barrier for an ultramarathon runner,” said Rajeev Patel, race director for the Run-de-Vous race. “For Nishad to finish, at his age, under 24 hours is clearly impressive. But what is truly stunning is in achieving his record, Nishad shaved over five hours from his 100-mile run time in last year’s Run-de-Vous.”
Nishad uses the attention from his runs to raise thousands of dollars for causes that are near and dear to him. In 2011, for his inaugural 100-mile race, he helped fund scholarships for under-privileged high school students. This year, he focused his fundraising efforts on the Asthma and Allergy Association.
“Last year during my first 100-mile run, I struggled with my asthma,” Nishad said. “This year, I learned how to better handle it both psychologically and physically. In the past, asthma has been more than just a hassle during a race for me, and I’m grateful for the chance to help other people get the best of their asthma as well.”
Moving forward, Nishad is forming small running groups to work with other, younger runners. Since he wasn’t very athletic and suffered from asthma as he was growing up, he’s keenly aware of the need for providing a positive, supportive athletic environment for people who are starting from a place of not believing that they can be athletic.
His aim is to show the kids he’s mentoring a different lifestyle where connecting to nature, eating healthy, and exercising is just a part of life – and not the exception.
