Meet Craig Dmello

 As a kid, I was always neglected as a result I learned the hard way to live my life alone and had to struggle for everything. I was never a runner nor did I participate in any athletic activities in school. Everyone just made fun of me and demotivated me. I was always  And always wondered what if I come last? What if I fall? Who is going to make fun of me? What will people say?

I smoked my first ever cigarette in seventh standard. That one cigarette became two and then three and kept increasing to packets. After I was done with my schooling I got into the new world of college life where I started smoking up (weed, hashish) and rolled one or two joints. Initially I enjoyed that feeling, loved the feeling of peace it used to bring, temporary peace but peace nonetheless. So I started smoking every day. I was always lost in my own world, never had anyone to express my feelings or tell about my problems. The best solution I thought to myself was to just remove the stash, roll up a joint and smoke my problems away. The first time I went for a rave party, I saw people around me take LSD with asugar cubes. I was curious, I wanted to try it, wanted to feel the euphoria that comes after consuming those drugs. I gave it a try and loved it. It made me lose my mind, I really didn’t know what was happening around me for the next few hours. This became my new addiction along with smoking. As I attended parties and events I got to know that there a various types of drugs and thought why not try them. I started with cocaine but in less quantity and other drugs which gave me peace but not a permanent one. When I was depressed or sad or just feeling low I would just smoke or smoke up or do drugs. I dint really know what was going in life. With smoking, I used to drink too and I have tried all kinds of drinks at home and out with friends. One day it all turned into a bad nightmare. I always thought someday I would quit it but it never happened maybe my body was used to it.

So it was like my aunts and uncles silver wedding that was day I thought I would enjoy my self and drink as much as I could. I opened my first beer bottle and just had half of it and in that mean while there was east Indian band which came in that is very popular in weddings and stuff in Mumbai. In excitement and full energy I left the beer bottle and started dancing. Well we had bartenders roaming with different kinds of cocktail shots, I might have had more then 20 shots, but things got worst and I went breathless and it was like almost being dead. This was because I had smoked up a lot and not slept properly in the few days before the party.

 

In 2015 I went for an event known as the Mumbai marathon that was organised by standard chartered I saw many people running and putting in efforts. I just said to myself if they can do it why can’t I do it. In my third year of bachelors degree in college I decided that I would surely do this after my final exams but I dint know exactly how it would go about. Everybody thought I was crazy and nobody believed that I would start running, let alone complete the challenge. But I bought a pair of running shoes and I ran a 5km race was in 2016 which was my first race. Oh my god, that was the longest and the most horrible run I’ve ever had so far in my life. I couldn’t breathe, I was sweating and I was so aware of other people on the street, I thought everybody was looking at me and laughing. By the time I got there, I was huffing and puffing and wanted to throw up. I found it to difficult to run. Since I was a doper it was difficult for me to cope up with everything. I was in two minds, should I continue or should I stop it. I took part in another 5 km race after few weeks. I saw my self improving and felt that I was doing better then what I did in my first race. I took up a 10 km race which took me more then an hour to complete. This was because I suddenly went from running a 5 km to 10 km race whicha was a big thing. I tried hard to complete the race, my knee started hurting but I still managed to complete the race. I then started practicing a lot and also did a couple of runs.

The more I ran, the better I felt. In year 2017 with a wonderful start to my athlete life, my girlfriend became my backbone. She was the one who made this journey lot more easier and made me a different person. She made it a point I would wake up early in the mornings, go for my runs and rest well. She’s always been there for all my races, may it be a short distance or a long distance one. At times we even ran together, we’ve run 5 km and 10 km race together. Having her by side was the best feeling. She always pushed me forward to go and do it. She was always nervous more then me especially when I was suffering from jaundice and I ran my race. She dint want me run cause I had become weak. My heart and mind was strong so I could not stop myself from running that race. I completed that race and more then me she was the happiest person. So far I have ran 25 of 10 km races, around 6 of 5 km and 12 of 21 km races. Before I started to run, I could not even run 100 mtrs. I remember taking very long deep breaths for the first time, which is something I’d not been able to do in years.

I improved and got even better when I started running with NRC(Nike Run Club). I learnt a lot about running and met different types of runners. Some days we ran long distance and some days we ran short distance. There were many events which were organised by Nike and it always a chance to make the best out of you. I stopped running for a while because of jaundice but after I recovered there was a challenge put up by BOMBAY RUNNING CREW. The challenge said that u have to run 10 days continuously for 10 km and the location and time would be given to us. Well I found this really interesting so I took part in it. I went for the first run of the 10×10. I was almost tired and had given up because of my running break. It was kind of a recovery run for me. I somehow managed to go through the first day of the challenge and then I motivated my self to do better in the second day. As days went by I started getting better. I got much better and my body got used to the 10 km that on the last two days I was a different version of what I was on the first day. I completed that challenge and it was one of the best achievements what I could ever think about. It was hard and impossible but I did it. Also I got much, much fitter than I used to be and I found myself totally suited to it. I was strong, I was confident, I was experienced from my training and the people I’d come across. It was so much fun. I realised that It’s not about speed; it’s about just being out there. Too much focus on producing results will lead to too little focus on enjoying the experience.

Everyday runners? We face the same emotional ups and downs in nearly every race. Some may take longer to finish, or run their miles in honor for someone else, but each mile ticked off is just as important. Runners persevere, and there’s something unique about a story that can make any runner say, “If they can soldier on, if they can act so courageously, there’s no reason I can’t either.”