Dheeraj Gupta, Founder of Jumboking will be running his eight Mumbai Marathon in January and shares his tips on preparing for a marathon and how running helps him to be better at business

Dheeraj Gupta, Founder and MD of Jumboking will be running his eight Mumbai Marathon in January. In 2018, the burger chain boss clocked the half marathon in 2 hrs and 28 minutes. He told ET Panache, "This year I hope to complete it in 2 hrs and 10 minutes.One of my running buddies has promised a treat, if I clock this timing. These are the small perks of training in a group, you build a network of like-minded people while keeping fit."

Gupta has tips for those who want to run. He shared, "The key to a good run are a good pair of running shoes which should be changed every year, a good fitness tracker to improve your running and a good pair of shorts and dry fit t-shirt.Breathing when you run is very important. Learning the correct breathing technique while running changed my focus from what is happening on the outside to what is happening inside the mind during the run. This will change you as a runner. Discipline is the key."

The Jumboking founder finds some lessons from his running. These have helped him in his business. "Running a marathon is like running a business. It takes discipline, consistency and focus to build a business. You have to pace yourself to meet your targets. You have to know your body and mind, do what works for you, at a pace that suits you. You are competing with yourself to become a better version of yourself compared to the previous year," he said.

The competitiveness of business and marathon running are very similar too according to Gupta. "Sales and profitability are the way you keep score in business to see how you are faring, in a marathon you similarly keep your timing. The way you pace yourself for the race by breaking it up into four runs of 5 kms each, you don’t want to go too fast in the beginning because you want to end strong.

Similarly, if you invest in training yourself and your team for business functions you will meet your targets with absolute ease, grace and joy.

posted Thursday December 26th
by Maleeva Rebello