98-Year-old Bengaluru man’s marathon journey inspires new generation

Former State Bank of Mysore manager N S Dattatreya retired from banking in 1989. He ran his first marathon 30 years later, at age 91, in January 2019.

Now 98, he has completed nearly 300 marathons and walkathons. In 2019 he won five gold medals at the 21st Asia Masters Athletics Championship in Malaysia and continues to run events like the TCS World 10K Bengaluru.

A school footballer who stayed fit through his banking career, Dattatreya joined distance running to stay active post-retirement. He ran 90 events in his first year alone, covering 5 km to over 20 km per outing.

“I want to be a role model for young people,” he says. “They should realise there is a life outside the virtual world and make walking or running 5 km a day an important part of their daily routine.”

His son Murli now runs with him, turning morning 5-km runs into a family routine. His story has also inspired others, including Vadodara corporate professional Kuldip Singh Jadav, who met Dattatreya in 2019.