Marathon girl of Kashmir stays ahead in life’s race
SRINAGAR: Her penchant for running and cycling has earned her the epithet of marathon girl of Kashmir. Some even call her PT Usha of Kashmir after the yesteryear woman athlete who came closest to a medal in the 1984 Olympics.
At 27, Insha Wadoo has come a long way to stay ahead in track and field, and life. A resident of Srinagar’s Old City, she started running at 14 and is a professional marathoner and cyclist who trains school students in athletics, cycling, volleyball, kho-kho among other sports. A science graduate, she completed her Bachelor in Physical Education (B.P.Ed) in 2017.
“I played cricket and badminton as a child but started running to overcome health issues in Class 9. I haven’t stopped since then and won’t even when I become a grandmother!” she says.
Overweight to athlete
She leaves home early in the morning on her cycle and heads for Badam Wari, the almond garden, in Rainawari. She runs 7km on weekdays and 25-30km on weekends.
In 2008, she weighed 80kg. “My mother motivated me towards walking and running. I met professional athletes such as Khurshid Ahmad Bhat, Tanveer Hussain and Umar Nabi who guided me,” she says.
In 2010, 16-year-old Insha won her first 10km Srinagar marathon, organised by a local sports club. Since then, not a year has gone by when she has not participated or won medals in running and cycling events.
Modest background
Her mother Tasleema, a housewife, and her first coach, Khurshid Ahmad Bhat, are her role models. “Some relatives would comment on my choice of pursuing sports, but my mother encouraged me to stay focused and work hard. She gave me confidence,” she says.
Insha is the youngest of three siblings and their father, Abdul Rashid Wadoo, is a cab driver. Her mother has been bedridden after suffering a stroke three years ago and Insha helps her with physiotherapy sessions, while continuing with her teaching and training.
“Khurshid Ahmad Bhat trained me for 10 years. He used to spend from his pocket to help me. There was a time when I would struggle for a tracksuit or a pair of shoes. He thought I had the potential to excel and kept pushing me,” she says.
Running alongside Australian ultra-marathoner Pat Farmer in 2016 from Banihal in south Kashmir to Nishat Garden on the banks of Dal Lake, covering 110km, is her memorable achievement. “Farmer had come running from Kanyakumari and we went to welcome him at Banihal before running up to Nishat Garden. I was the only woman among six athletes who ran alongside him,” she says. By the time Insha graduated in science in 2014-15, she was a sports achiever. “From 2011-17, I participated in the Srinagar and Jammu half-marathons and bagged medals. In Delhi, I ran three half-marathons, winning the 13th, 8th and 14th places. Around 60-70,000 people had participated.”
In 2015, she won the third spot in Srinagar’s First International Marathon of which the first two positions were grabbed by Kenyan athletes. “After this, athletes started calling me PT Usha of Kashmir,” she says.
In 2020, she ranked first in the 50-km Pahalgam cyclothon and secured the second spot in the 75-km cycling expedition from Baramulla to Kaman Post on the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri in 2021.
Financial help and training
In 2017, she got a training offer from The Run Club founder in Chandigarh, Paveela Prashar Bali. “She had read about me so offered to hone my talent. I got seven months training during which I competed at the national level,” she says.
On her return to Kashmir, she started working in a private school to meet expenses till 2019 when she was recruited as a physical education teacher (Rehber e Khel) by the J&K youth services and sports department. Her services will be regularised in 2025. “The salary is between ₹3,000 and ₹4,000 a month in the first seven years, but I’m satisfied as I’ll be doing what I love to do,” she says. However, she hopes the government will help her with an international standard bicycle. “I have a lower-end one and can’t compete with it. A cycle of international standard costs a few lakhs,” she says.
I started running at 14 to lose weight. I haven’t stopped since then and won’t even when I become a grandmother. INSHA WADOO, national-level athlete