Keep calm and run: Mukesh Singh's mantra to beat high-pressure situations

BENGALURU: Keep calm and run.This is Mukesh Singh's mantra.The CEO and co-founder of online grocery store Zopnow is a marathoner and has participated in several runs across the world in the past 15 years. In fact, he starts on a run every time he needs to take a pivotal decision.
"Startup life throws up many crisis situations - finance, technology, HR - that keep itching.Prioritising is crucial. I always take a run whenever a situation arises. Track record is that I have always found a solution," says the IIT-Kanpur alumnus, who runs for 15 kilometres every Sunday.

For him, a run is as much a mental thing as it is physical. "That time is exclusively yours." Even the name Zopnow came to him during a run. "We did not want to pay Rs 50 lakh to buy a name. During a run, I saw a vehicle with the 'horn ok please' message mis-spelt. I gave a twist to 'shop now' and made it Zopnow. We gave just Rs 500," he chuckles.

Singh's fascination for marathons started in 2001 during his days in San Francisco. The fresh MIT graduate had taken a plunge into the world of startups, a time he describes as full of "pressures and frugal salaries."

He came upon the Silicon Valley Marathon. The $65 registration fee and no preparation time did not deter him. "It was an extempore marathon for me. Usually people train for 4 to 6 months with stringent schedules. But in two hours, I effortlessly crossed the half-way mark. I actually sprinted the past two miles. I have never looked back," says Singh, who was also a local racquet ball champion and part of a soccer club in the US.

He only continued running after moving back to India in 2003. In 2009, he took it a notch higher when he participated in 12 marathons in 12 months.

He ran the Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, California, Portland and Leh marathons."Running next to postcard landscapes despite low oxygen and difficult terrain made the Leh marathon most memorable," says Singh. He participated in the most recent Bengaluru marathon and has registered for the Mumbai marathon in January 2016. "My aim is to complete 100 marathons.I have covered 91," says the 40-yearold CEO, who plans his holidays in accordance with the marathon calendar.

Interestingly, Singh still never prepares for a marathon."Restrictions, diet and calorie control make runs complicated. Human beings are made to walk and run. Best things in life come free," he ends.