Bengaluru: Fifty-six-year-old Jay Moodley, a well-known figure in Bengaluru’s running community, is just days away from completing his Hundred Days of Running (HDOR) challenge, during which he has run 21.1 km every day to raise awareness against drug abuse.
Moodley began his journey on April 26 and will reach his goal this weekend.
While HDOR participants typically run at least 2 km daily, Jay, a South African runner, opted to complete half-marathons in Bengaluru. He alternates between four to five routes, completing each run within two-and-a half hours.
His campaign is dedicated to his hometown of Chatsworth, Durban, South Africa, where he witnessed widespread drug abuse among youth.
"Drugs have become easily accessible, even to children as young as 11. Entire families are devastated; there is no future for youth if this continues. Communities need to get more active, so I wanted to campaign against drugs here,” he said.
Jay, who relocated to India with his wife Melanie and two children in 2018, has been running for 10 years. Initially leading an unhealthy lifestyle, he joined a boot camp in 2014 and ran his first marathon on his 47th birthday, July 5, 2015 — the same day he last consumed alcohol.
Since January 1, 2020, he has maintained a running streak, completing 1,674 consecutive days of running as of July 31, with a minimum of 10 km daily. “Running helps me de-stress and relax; it’s like meditation, helping me live a cleaner, healthier life,” Jay explained.
Long-distance running
Beyond his daily runs, Jay undertakes long-distance running events.
In December 2019, he walked from Puducherry to Kochi to raise cancer awareness and funds for Chatsworth Hospice and the Indian Cancer Association.
He regularly runs from Bengaluru to Puttaparthi and has completed the challenging 90 km ultramarathon in Ooty.
His next goals include running to Chennai and eventually tackling the Kanyakumari to Kashmir (K2K) challenge.