"No pain, no gain strategy will cut short your running career" - Ashok Nath, Founder, Catalyst Sports Interview

Ashok Nath is the founder of Catalyst Sports, India’s leading veteran marathoner and is an inspirational icon to runners across India for his achievements and knowledge.

A true running evangelist, Ashok is championing “India Amateur Runners Trust” which is a not-for-profit initiative with the mission to grow our running space.

Sportskeeda caught up with Ashok to know more about his new venture and got to hear a lot of interesting insights on running.Here are the excerpts from the interview:

Ashok Nath

Can you explain the idea behind starting Catalyst Sports?

Running is actually a skill sport and is no different from any other sport.

For example, if you want to swim or play tennis, then you start by taking lessons on learning [a] correct technique, but when it comes to running, the approach is casual.

While many may find the services of Catalyst Sports ahead of its time, I personally believe these services were long overdue. Amateur runners take up running despite being sedentary for years, and then enrol in some training program that exposes their body to stress from its demand for frequency, intensity and mileage.

No wonder nearly 65% of runners face some running related injuries annually!

What are all the services that Catalyst Sports offers to its clients?

Catalyst Sports operates in the knowledge space, leveraging the knowledge and stature of its founder. Our services range from teaching proper running form, mentoring a runner for his key run, guest speaker sessions for corporate, counselling sessions and contributory articles on running and fitness.

At a later stage, we will offer workshops on mental strength for runners, advanced marathoning and runner retreats.

How is Catalyst Sports going to help a runner who signs up with them for their program?

Well, it depends on which service specifically the runner has enrolled but in essence, [and according to it] Catalyst Sports will transform him into a better runner.

And I define this as a runner who is capable of running faster, with minimal downtime through injuries and enjoys his running experience more.

In our mentoring program, we actually are confident enough to give a 100% guarantee on achievement of agreed goals!

What is ‘running form’? Can you explain a little about it?

Very simply put, proper running form is when you are running in a balanced state with all parts of your body engaged in a unified manner and contributing proportionately. Physical balance happens in six directions, namely left to right, up to down and front to back.

It is only when your upper body, lower body and mid-section are synchronized that you truly experience fluency in your running.

To become a good runner, you actually need neither brawn nor youth, but just fluent movements and a mindful approach to your running.

Indeed, running should be graceful, even powerful but as a result of intelligent body engineering and not from endless hard workouts trying to wrench that last drop of energy.

Being a new concept in India, how has the audience been receiving it?

Most runners are like college graduates who have jumped into the job market, doing decently well, but there is that gnawing feeling that without a professional degree, their future is insecure. Learning proper running form is an investment in yourself for a better future.

And this showcases itself in the profile of runners who have registered with Catalyst Sports. They are the more open minded runners who accept that they can cut their learning curve by making this investment in their time with Catalyst Sports.

Ashok Nath

You offer mentoring services to the runners. Can you tell us a little more about it?

The simple fact is, that to be successful in your running event, it requires more than just hard training.

Most runners train for months, but then feel dissatisfied with their race performance as some element or other didn’t fall into place. Indeed, if you don’t have a proper fueling and hydration plan, a pacing plan, the right mental attitude and so forth, then your likelihood to do well in a race is entirely left to chance.

When you engage with a mentor, you maximise your chances to do well as you have a learned expert working by your side.

A good mentor invests time to understand his mentee – life responsibilities and personality type, running history and ambitions to cite a few aspects – and then assesses their running capabilities to grasp their potential.

Based on their expertise, a challenging but realistic goal is set for the mentee which the two work towards intimately.

How are you going to track the progress and quantify the outcome in the mentoring service that you provide?

We live in a digital age and distances are easily straddled through a call, email or messaging. As Catalyst Sports is a premium service, we will work with a limited number of runners to ensure that we deliver on our commitments without compromising on quality.

Outcome will be both quantitative and qualitative. On the former, a time goal is easily measureable. The latter will lie in aspects like imparting knowledge and discipline that make my mentee a better grounded runner, which they will themselves realise.

Is your service available throughout the country?

Awareness of Catalyst Sports is through the online media, PR and positive word-of-mouth. Perforce this makes our service available to one and all if they see a fit with their own aspirations as a runner.

Do you cater to only individuals or do you associate with corporate as well?

There are two services that specifically address corporate, namely Running Form Workshops (half or full day) and Guest Speaker Sessions. The intent is that the more serious employee in a corporate will follow up directly with Catalyst Sports for a deeper engagement.

Any advice to our readers who want to take up running?

Follow the principle of gradual progression and enjoy the journey. Macho thoughts like “No pain, no gain” will only cut short your running career.