Abimanyu Shunmugam - Slaying the Dragon
“After my first DNF, I didn’t want to see anyone for a month!”
Show Notes
Abimanyu Shunmugam is a Singaporean ultrarunner, currently sponsored by North Face. He’s a two-time Survivor of the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge and recently became the first Singaporean to complete the Dragon’s Back Race. He’s on Instagram here.
In our interview with Abi we discuss:
The Sundown Marathon (2:50)
The Dragon’s Back Race (3:45), ranked as the toughest multi-day stage race in the world
Nutrition: Tailwind, Yum Butter and Amino Vital (10:20)
Training under Jason Koop and CTS (21:20) and Perceived Effort training. Jason is also the author of Training Essentials for Ultrarunning: How to Train Smarter, Race Faster, and Maximize Your Ultramarathon Performance, which Abi recommends
Singapore’s Gurkha Contingent (24:20)
His early races: The Most Beautiful Thing Ultra (TMBT) in Malaysia, TransLantau, TDS and UTMF (35:00)
Hardcore Hundred Miles in the Philippines (41:00)
Gaoligong by UTMB in China and the Rinjani 100 in Indonesia (47:50)
Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge and the Great Southern Endurance Run in Australia (50:00)
His experiences DNF-ing Ultra-Trail Australia and Northburn 100 in New Zealand (1:05:50)
Books: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perserverance by Angela Duckworth and Training for the Uphill Athlete by Steve House, Scott Johnston and Kilian Jornet (1:12:00)
Favourite kit (1:13:00): T8 running gear, Flight Series North Face shoes, Inov-8 Roclite 275 shoes, Ashmei socks
Upcoming races: Ultra-Trail Chiang Rai
Podcast hosted by Ultra Endurance enthusiasts Scott Pugh and Ric Stockfis.