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During her school days in Ahmedabad, Priyanka Bhatt played all kinds of games with her friends. But it was dancing that she enjoyed the most, whether she had company or otherwise. The early days were spent in front of the television, shaking a leg like her favourite movie stars. She soon become a student of dance after joining an academy run by renowned choreographer, Shiamak Davar.
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For five years, dance became an integral part of her life, until her work commitments took her to Mumbai. Long hours at the office gave her little time for anything else and before she realised it, she had quite unknowingly taken to an unhealthy lifestyle. One fine day, Bhatt decided to bring an end to it all and went out to buy a pair of running shoes. She graduated from her walks to a run, though the first 5km was 7a laboured effort. But it was hardly a deterrent and just a month later, she had worked her way towards finishing her first half marathon.
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Through running, she rediscovered the joy of being in her own company that she had once experienced while dancing. The longer she ran, the more satisfied she was with the effort. Ultra marathons were a natural progression and at the Bengaluru 24-hour stadium run, she ran 170km to make the cut for the Indian team that competed at the IAU 24-hour World Championships in France. That race was special for Bhatt as she logged a mammoth 192.8km – the second-highest distance for an Indian woman as of 2020. With the Badwater Ultramarathon on her to-do list before 2021, the distances are only set to increase for Bhatt in the months ahead.
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