Creative
In whatever free time I have outside of my work and research contributions, I enjoy running, traveling and reading books.
Over the years, I have run 10+ (ultra-)marathons in different places, terrains and altitudes. In particular, one of my goals has been to run a marathon on every continent. Because why not combine extreme physical exertion with jet lag? So far I have marathoned in 5 continents.
Global Marathon Madness
π Number of continents: 5
Number of countries: 9
Number of cities: 20
Total race kilometers: 822 km
Number of ultra-marathons: 3
Number of marathons: 9
Number of half-marathons: 6
Number of shorter races (< 20 km): 14
Here is a sneak peek into the details of each race, from the bustling city marathons to the serene countryside trails.
February 2024 | Moerfelden-Walldorf 2024 | 21.1 km, Moerfelden, Germany |
π π§π· April 2024 | 28th Sao Paulo International Marathon 2024 | 42.2 km, Sao Paulo, Brazil (South America) |
February 2024 | DSW Swim and Run | S:700 m + R:5.5 km, Darmstadt, Germany |
π π¦πΊ September 2023 | Sydney Marathon 2023 | 42.2 km, Sydney, Australia (Australia) |
June 2023 | B2Run Muenchen 2023 | 5.6 km, Munich, Germany |
June 2023 | 40. Rhein-Ruhr Marathon Duisburg 2023 | 42.2 km, Duisburg, Germany |
May 2023 | 10. Darmstaedter Merck-Firmenlauf | 10 km, Darmstadt, Germany |
February 2023 | Moerfelden-Walldorf 2023 | 21.1 km, Moerfelden, Germany |
March 2022 | Basteilauf 2022 | 10 km, Cologne, Germany |
Sometime in 2021 | HP Virtual Run Challenge | 6 km, Somewhere in Aachen, Germany |
-- Pandemic Pause -- | ||
September 2019 | Berlin Marathon | 42.2 km, Berlin, Germany (Europe) |
April 2019 | Montreal Double Challenge Run | 10 km + 21.1 km Challenge, Montreal, QC, Canada |
π π²π¦ January 2019 | Marrakech Marathon | 42.2 km, Marrakech, Morocco (Africa) |
November 2018 | Athens Authentic Marathon | 42.2 km, Athens, Greece |
October 2018 | Amsterdam Marathon | 42.2 km, Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
September 2018 | Suedthuringen Trail | 47.5 km, Suhl, Thuringen, Germany |
August 2018 | Trail des Fantomes | 50 km, La Roche en Ardenne, Belgium |
π πΊπΈ June 2018 | San Diego Marathon | 42.2 km, San Diego, CA, USA (North America) |
May 2018 | Trail des Cisterciens | 36 km, Tangissart, Belgium |
March 2018 | North C Ultratrail | 50 km, Coxyde, Belgium |
December 2017 | 40. Aachener Sylvesterlauf | 10 km, Aachen, Germany |
π π©πͺ June 2017 | Rhein-Ruhr Duisburg Innogy Marathon | 42.2 km, Duisburg, Germany |
April 2017 | Deutsche Post Half-Marathon | 21.1 km, Bonn, Germany |
February 2017 | Lauf zur 33 Winterserie des LSV Porz | 21.1 km, Cologne, Germany |
December 2016 | 39. Aachener Sylvesterlauf | 10 km, Aachen, Germany |
July 2016 | Himmelgeister Brueckenlauf | 21.1 km, Duesseldorf, Germany |
July 2016 | Actimonda Tivolilauf Aachen | 10 km, Aachen, Germany |
June 2016 | Sportscheck Nachtlauf Aachen | 10 km, Aachen, Germany |
June 2016 | Midzomernachtrun Ghent | 16 km, Ghent, Belgium |
May 2016 | Benefizlauf | 10 km, Aachen, Germany |
December 2015 | 38. Aachener Sylvesterlauf | 5 km, Aachen, Germany |
In 2019, I also qualified for running the Orsières-Champex -Chamonix 2020 (OCC) Ultratrail from the UTMB family of races; however, unfortunately, the draw was negative. I also have a road bike which I use for cross-training frequently. Another mind-blowing experience I was part of was a 10-day/ 100-hour meditation retreat last year, which felt like an marathon exclusively for the mind. Here I learned a bit on how to observe my mind objectively.
I love traveling to new places, and learning new cultures and hanging out with people from different parts of the world. I travel during the weekends, holidays for leisure and multiple times for work every year. So far, I have travelled across six continents and 55+ countries. Among my travels, some of the most otherworldly experiences were exploring the Great Barrier Reef and the Peruvian Amazon, and I will absolutely cherish these memories.
I have done some really cool hiking and biking trips with my friends and also during my travel. Here are the epic ones that I thoroughly enjoyed:
April 2024 | Machu Picchu Salkantay Hike | 75 km, 4 days, Peru |
August 2017 | Cross-NL Country Biking Trip (Aachen - Eindhoven - Dordrecht - Den Haag) | 350 km, 3 days, Netherlands |
I have been following a plant-based lifestyle for the past 10 years and have found it great for my overall health and well-being. I also gave a podcast with coach Karina Inkster on plant-based food, running, and importance of critical thinking in diet choices, check it out below.
I love reading books, and I believe that constant learning helps keep my mind sharp. For books I have read or will read, see my Goodreads page. I refrain from purchasing new books and usually read from kindle or get second-hand books. Occasionally, I also listen to audiobooks.
Watching movies is only second to reading books for me. I have watched over 3000+ contents in different languages. I hope to update my favorite titles on IMDb sometime. Hopefully, I beat procrastinating this at some point.
I have been learning to play the keyboard and violin on and off over the past decade. This hobby is largely for leisure and usually takes a backseat when work takes over. In the past, I tried to get myself a skydiving license but left it halfway through due to PhD workload. I hope to resume it sometime in the future.