‘We must break the training barriers’: Sawan Barwal’s marathon journey from Himachal’s hills to India’s record books

Vaishnavi Iyer | May 16, 2026 11:08 AM

New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) India’s long-distance running scene has often existed away from the spotlight, tucked behind the glamour of cricket stadiums and sprint tracks. But for Sawan Barwal, the road to becoming one of the country’s most promising marathon runners began far from packed arenas, in the tranquil hills of Joginder Nagar in Himachal Pradesh, where endurance is not built in training camps alone but in everyday life itself.