Most runners spend years chasing a Boston Qualifier. Aditi Pandya spent six years not even thinking about it — and then ran 3:22:35 at the 2026 Boston Marathon.
In Episode 252 of Run with Fitpage, Vikas Singh sits down with Aditi Pandya — endurance runner and co-founder of Geeks on Feet, to discuss her journey to the Boston Marathon.
Aditi started as a hobby jogger in Mumbai who did not know the difference between a half marathon and a full marathon. Her first marathon in 2019 took her 4 hours and 37 minutes. She trained with friends, had no coach, and piled up injuries. Six years, multiple setbacks, a pelvic injury that forced eight months of rehabilitation, and a piriformis niggle that stayed through her Boston preparation — and yet on April 20, 2026, she crossed the Copley Square finish line.
Know more about Geeks on Feet - Geeks on Feet
In this episode:
How roller skating and field hockey led to a running career she never planned
Why it took six years from running casually to even considering a Boston Qualifier
The 13-week training block that built her Boston performance — hills, tempos, strength training, and gut training
Why she trained on normal daily trainers and avoided carbon plate shoes in preparation
Managing a piriformis injury through Boston training — what she did and what she refused to skip
Race day at Boston — the cold, the hills, Heartbreak Hill, and running 42.76km instead of 42.195
In-race fueling — every 30 minutes, gel strategy, electrolytes, and the carb numbers behind a 3:22
Why food and sleep are not soft habits — they are training variables
What she would tell every runner who is dreaming of Boston right now
About Vikas Singh:
Vikas Singh, an MBA from Chicago Booth, worked at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, APGlobale, and Reliance before coming up with the idea of democratizing fitness knowledge and helping beginners get on a fitness journey. Vikas is an avid long-distance runner, building fitpage to help people learn, train, and move better.
For more information on Vikas, or to leave any feedback and requests, you can reach out to him via the channels below:
Instagram: @vikas_singhh
LinkedIn: Vikas Singh
Twitter: @vikashsingh101
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