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Seventy one-year-old running coach from Marine Lines, Savio D’Souza proved that even a battle with colon cancer can’t break his spirit or slow him down. At the Mumbai Marathon that was held recently, Savio completed the 21 km run in little over two hours. He admits friends and family were worried if he would be able to pull it off. “I did not overtrain. The idea was to complete the distance and prove to myself that cancer can’t break my spirit and that I can do it. I was not competing with the others and ran in a controlled manner,” says Savio, who has been a part of the Mumbai Marathon since its inception in 2004.
Savio was diagnosed with cancer in December 2022 and began training for the marathon in September 2024, after undergoing surgery in July 2023. He says, “I started with walking just to regain my confidence. When I managed to walk 5-10 kms without any problem, I started with walking and jogging for 1 km to check if I could do it and gradually increased the timing.”
The professional athlete, who has been running since 1972 and has now resumed coaching runners at Marine Drive, shares that he never let his battle with cancer bog him down. He recalls, “I remained positive and was determined to fight it out even though the cancer was at an advanced stage. I took chemotherapy and underwent surgery, but was never scared. I only focused on recovering and being able to run again, that mindset and my fitness helped.”
‘I took up coaching after my competitive running career came to an end’
Savio shares, “I’ve represented Maharashtra and Mumbai at cross country races and national competitions. I was among the consecutive winners at the Pune International Marathon from 1984-86. I also won the Shiv Chhatrapati Award, the highest honour for sportspersons in Maharashtra in 1986. I took up coaching after my competitive running career came to an end.”
Pics: Prashant Jadhav
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