Naik Velu P is all set to ring in his 30th birthday memorably as he left for a mission to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by running from Kashmir to Kanyakumari under 50 days.
Naik Velu flagged off from 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar on Friday with a heartwarming gathering of enthusiasts who accompanied him in his solo run for the initial five kilometers carrying the national flag and boosting his morale.
“Naik Velu, serving as a nursing assistant in the 60 Para Field Hospital, is an ultra-marathoner who is attempting a Guinness World Record by running from Kashmir to Kanyakumari covering a distance of about 4,300 Km under 50 days. To cover this mammoth distance from Kashmir to Kanyakumari in 50 days, Velu would be running 70-100 Km per day, crossing major towns, cities, and states,” Udhampur-based Army Public Relations Officer (PRO) Lt Col Abhinav Navneet said.
Naik Velu was born on 21st April 1991 in Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu. He had earlier represented his state in athletics at the age of 13 and later joined the Army in December 2011. His first achievement in the Army was a gold medal in a cross-country 12.5 Km run in 2012.
Last year in June, Naik Velu became the first Indian ultra-runner to complete 1,600 Km in just 17 days, a record which is in the process of being entered as an Asian record.
