Mumbai: Hard work pays off. So says Sagar Patil who once worked as security guard and is now a PT teacher at an international school. This Sunday, he will do the 21km run at Tata Mumbai Marathon. “I’m a pacer for the half-marathon,” the 33-year-old says proudly. A pacer is an experienced runner who sets the pace for other runners, prodding them to do their best.
Patil’s journey on the marathon track would draw awe and inspiration. He worked as a security guard at DSB International School, Breach Candy, when the fitness enthusiast noticed parents of students practising to participate in the Mumbai marathon. “I approached Kranti Salvi, a parent of a student,” he says, adding how Salvi — a Guinness Book of World Record holder earned a mention for doing the full marathon in traditional Japanese attire in Canada — encouraged and guided him into running.
Like most Mumbaikars, Patil’s work schedule left him little time for recreation, but he says he wanted to indulge in his passion for sport. He would take the first train from his Dombivli home at 4.20 am to reach school early for his run practice. From there, he would sprint to Worli dairy or up to the sea link and back – about 8-10km. At times, he darted out towards Marine Lines and hit the road running back to school to start duty.
“All through this, schoolteachers, the principal and parents of students supported me…” he points out with a hint of gratitude.
After the lockdown, the school authorities put up a proposal, asking him to help the PT teacher. “No way would I miss this chance… I grabbed the opportunity,” says Patil. Soon after, the school helped him enrol for a degree in Physical Education) – the qualification needed for a PT teacher.
In Dombivli, he lives with his wife and two daughters aged four and seven while parents, who are farmers, live in Belagavi, Karnataka.
His family and friends, he says, are proud of the progress he’s made. As a PT teacher, Patil not only trains students about the usual physical drills, he says, adding: “I tell my students about the need to work hard. I share my experience with them.”