MUMBAI: In the pre-dawn chill of New Delhi, as most of the city slept, Kavita Chand crossed the finish line of the New Delhi Marathon on 23 February 2025 with the timer reading 1:39:52—finally breaking the elusive 100-minute barrier for the half marathon distance. The achievement earned her a gold medal in her age category and marked a personal best by two minutes, but for Chand, it represented something far more significant: validation of one of the boldest decisions of her life.
"Finally sub 100 half marathon... Podium gold in age category. Gratitude always," Chand shared in a characteristically understated social media post that belied the magnitude of her journey from corporate executive to competitive athlete.
Just seven months earlier, Chand had walked away from her position as vice president of media at Kantar, where she had built an impressive 11-year career. The Mumbai-based media professional had previously held prestigious positions at Lintas Media Group, MEC, and Madison Communications, where she specialized in strategic planning and new business development. Her corporate trajectory had been steady and successful—the kind many professionals aspire to.
But beneath the surface of her corporate success, Chand had been nurturing a growing passion for distance running. What began as early morning runs to manage workplace stress gradually evolved into a serious pursuit. Colleagues recall her meticulous training schedules wedged between business meetings and her occasional disappearances during lunch breaks for quick training sessions.
"Kavita always brought the same intensity to her running as she did to client presentations," recalls a former colleague from Kantar. "There was a methodical precision to everything she did—whether analysing media metrics or planning her marathon training splits."
The decision to leave the corporate world wasn't made lightly. After competing in several marathon runswhile balancing her demanding career, Chand began to question whether she could reach her full athletic potential while devoting most of her energy to media strategy. In July 2024, she made the leap, trading boardroom presentations for full-time training.
"It wasn't a decision I made lightly," Chand revealed in a rare interview with a running magazine. "I had financial considerations, career implications, and honestly, plenty of self-doubt. But I kept coming back to one question: 'When I'm eighty, which will I regret more—not becoming a CMO or not discovering my potential as an athlete?'"
The results have been remarkable. Since focusing exclusively on her athletic career, Chand has competed in races across India and globally, steadily improving her times and building a reputation in distance running circles. Coaches note her analytical approach to training—the same skills that once helped her develop media strategies now applied to understanding lactate thresholds and optimizing recovery periods.
By November 2024, the reinvention began showing results. At the Bengaluru Half Marathon, she clocked 1:41:45, winning silver in her category. December brought a personal best in Pune at 1:40:58.
Throughout this period, Chand supplemented her running with high-altitude treks in the Himalayas, laying groundwork for her mountaineering aspirations. Weekend excursions to elevations above 10,000 feet became regular features of her training calendar.
"The mountains teach patience and humility in ways that road racing cannot," she noted on her increasingly popular blog documenting her journey. "When you're at 14,000 feet, you learn to respect nature's timetable, not your own."
The sub-100 minute half marathon in New Delhi represented more than just a time benchmark—it validated her unconventional choice to step away from corporate success at its peak. The gold medal performance immediately qualified her for several elite racing events previously beyond her reach.
Beyond her personal achievement, Chand's journey has inspired a movement within Mumbai's corporate community. She now leads "Corporate to Competitor" weekend training groups specifically designed for professionals considering similar transitions. Her transformation has inspired many in her network of over 3,200 followers, particularly professionals who harbour dreams of pursuing their own passions. Several former colleagues have taken up running inspired by her example, and she occasionally hosts weekend training sessions for beginners in Mumbai's Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
"What makes Kavita's journey special isn't just the athletic achievement," says a running club member who trains with her regularly. "It's that she had the courage to completely reinvent herself at the peak of her corporate career, trusting that her passion could become her new purpose."
As for what's next, Chand remains characteristically focused on the immediate horizon. Sources close to her suggest she's targeting a full marathon in under 3:30 next season—another significant milestone for someone who five years ago had never run more than five kilometres at a stretch.
Her mountaineering ambitions continue to develop in parallel, with plans reportedly underway for an expedition to a 6,000-meter Himalayan peak in late 2025. The complementary training regimens for both pursuits have created a year-round athletic focus that replaces the quarterly business cycles that once structured her life.
For now, she celebrates her sub-100 minute half marathon—not just as an athletic achievement, but as affirmation that sometimes the most rewarding finish lines are the ones that require us to leave our comfort zones far behind.
