He is a farmer from a remote village in Mawkyrwat district of the northeastern State of Meghalaya but his passion for running is pushing him to achieve a dream which is well beyond the imagination of other fellow farmers.
Tlanding Wahlang, a noted ultramarathon runner, hails from remote Shngi Mawlein village in Meghalaya’s Mawkyrwat district.
He lives a farmer’s life but he also undertakes menial jobs to support his five-member family while working hard every day to get his passion for running fulfilled.
Now, Tlanding Wahlang has been selected to represent India in a marathon race in Portugal, reports TNT.
According to the media report, Wahlang wakes up every morning at 5 and goes for practice of running for one-and-a-half hours.
After his return, he takes his meal and gets prepared for the day’s hard work in farming from 10 am to 5 pm.
A farmer by profession, 40-year-old Wahlang, who comes from an extremely humble background, lives with his wife and four children.
As per the report, he has never given up his passion for athletics and sports, despite the fact that he has to work hard as a labour in field and sometimes at mines.
When he was 35 years old, Wahlang decided to pursue his passion for running and started a disciplined life where he included all right from running, eating healthy farming, and spending time with his family.
It has been reported that for the last five years, he has never skipped his running practice, for a single day, come what may.
When he was 36 years old, Wahlang won his first ever marathon event- The Sohra Marathon in 2015 – which was organised by Run Meghalaya Association (RMA).
He again won the 2016 Sohra Marathon.
After winning Sohra Marathon for two times, he has not looked back and continues to represent Meghalaya as a marathon runner in several other parts of India including Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata.
The report quoted Whalang as saying: “As I kept on winning, I began to realise that even running can bring in some amount of money to sustain my family. I think this is God’s plan to show me that I have a talent and I should make good use of this.”
“Running is no doubt my passion but winning has become a necessity of sorts for me now as I cannot only rely on farming and mining activities for my family. I also need to set a good example for my children who are growing up fast,” he added.
The runner from Meghalaya said he will run for as long as his body allows him since he has “no sustainable flow of income”.
“I have to divide my time between farming, mining and running. I need to occasionally leave my family behind to undertake mining activity away from my district and things get tough at times. But I have realised that running helps to bring in a comparatively better income than menial labour and I will run no matter what for my passion and my family,” he added.
Whalang also emerged victorious in the 60 km Manali Solang Hell Race.
After his victory at the 72 km Mawkyrwat Ultramarathon in the year 2018, the Run Meghalaya Association (RMA), a non-profit organization decided to sponsor Whalang’s expenses for whenever he received an opportunity to represent Meghalaya in other parts of the country and even abroad.
Now, he is preparing to represent India for the Trail World Marathon Championship to be held in Portugal on June 8, 2019.
Expressing his gratefulness to RMA for having decided to sponsor him, the runner said: “I am only a menial worker. But I am grateful to Run Meghalaya for having decided to sponsor me. This will only be a dream for me without Run Meghalaya.”
Two other runners from Shillong will represent Meghalaya in Shimla for the Tuffman Ultra Marathon to be held on June 8, 2019. They are Marvin Kharkongor and Okilang Syiemlieh. Their Shimla run will also be sponsored by the RMA.