Personal Best: Young fundraiser hooked on running

Dylan Gujral will compete in the San Francisco Marathon for the second year in a row. He is running on behalf of the Blind Babies Foundation. (Courtesy photo)

Dylan Gujral is celebrating the anniversary of running his first marathon by running it again.

Gujral was one of only two 12-year-old competitors, the youngest of the 4,450 runners, in last year’s San Francisco Marathon.

The 5-foot, 3-inch, 91-pound San Francisco native is running in the July 26 marathon on behalf of the Blind Babies Foundation. The BBF provided support and counseling to Gujral and his family when he was a small child battling visual impairment without clear direction of how his vision would develop.

The skilled fundraiser qualified for last year’s San Francisco Marathon, as well as entry into the Marathon’s training group, by raising the most money for a previous race he had completed, the 65 Roses 8K Fun Run for Cystic Fibrosis.

Dylan’s parents, Ash and Susan Gujral, said they are delighted that their son is raising funds for the Blind Babies Foundation.
“It’s great to see your kid grow up and give back,” Susan said. “It’s more meaningful than just saying thank you. You can act on it.”
The younger Gujral has not allowed his vision difficulties, which are improving, to compromise his commitment for endurance running. He has set an ambitious goal of 3 hours and 50 minutes for this year’s S.F. Marathon, 17 minutes faster than last year’s result.

“I haven’t slacked off at all this year in my training,” Gujral said. “This year I’m really prepared.”

He is also prepared for the pain.

“There were a couple of points that I wanted to quit,” Gujral recalled from his first marathon. “I hit a wall at 7½ miles. My ankle was hurting really bad. Then, at 23 miles, I hit my real wall. I knew that nothing was actually wrong with me. It was just really hard to continue.”

But he did continue. And by crossing the finish line, he experienced­ the “runner’s high” that he had only read about in Dean Karnazes’ book, “The Ultramarathon Man.” The young man was hooked.

“The afternoon of the race, he went online looking for other marathons to run,” said his mom, herself a high school and college long distance runner.

Gujral will be an eighth-grader at the San Francisco School this fall. Last year, he enjoyed a couple of second-place finishes for the school’s cross-country team and is hoping to notch a victory or two next season. High school competitive endurance running will follow, along with a couple of Northern California’s more rugged and scenic venues — the Big Sur Marathon and Marin’s Double Dipsea.

“I love having a sense of adventure, which is why I’m getting into trail running, being independent and doing it on my own,” Gujral said.

He said he loves to run from his home near The City’s West Portal district to Mount Davidson.

“Scenery is one of the main things that makes my runs enjoyable, seeing all of the sights and views,” he said. “You get a great view of The City on Mount ­Davidson.”

San Francisco Marathon

Race also includes two half marathons, a 5K and a progressive marathon

When: Sunday, July 26

Where: A loop course starting at The Embarcadero and Steuart Street, near the Ferry Building.

Dylan’s Gujral’s Web site: www.dylangujral.com