Anuj Sonpal, the dynamic CEO of Valorem Advisors, is no stranger to high-pressure environments. For nearly two decades, he navigated the fast-paced world of corporate leadership, balancing demanding work hours and stress.However, in 2019, Sonpal found an unlikely outlet for this stress—running. What started as a way to combat his high-stress lifestyle soon transformed into a passionate pursuit of endurance, culminating in his successful participation in marathons around the world, including the prestigious Berlin Marathon.In this exclusive interview with ETMarkets for the Mind Over Money segment, Anuj Sonpal shares his inspiring journey of transitioning from a corporate leader to a marathoner, the lessons he's learned about discipline, mental resilience, and patience, and how these qualities have not only shaped his approach to running but also revolutionized his leadership in the equity markets.From managing the demands of both his professional life and his marathon training to embracing the grind of long-term goals, Anuj reveals how running has become a key driver of his success—both personally and professionally. Edited Excerpts -Thanks for taking the time out. What inspired you to start running in 2019, and how did the idea of attempting a marathon come about? Like many people, especially in India, once you get into the rut of working, sporting activities and exercise take a back seat. For close to two decades, I was spending an average of 10-12 hours a day at very high stress, demanding work environments, after which I never had the energy to do anything else.During that time, I had a few friends who had taken up running, but like most non-runners I didn’t understand why and how they did it. I naively thought let’s give it a try to attempt a full marathon since it is considered the epitome of endurance and I wanted an outlet for my high stress lifestyle.In 2019, at the age of 39, I started running with the hope of attempting a marathon before I turned 40. I quickly came to the realisation of how out of shape I truly was after 20 years of barely doing any exercise, and that it was going to take a lot more than 6 months training to run a full marathon!Not wanting to give up, I ran my first half marathon at TMM in 2020, just a few days before I turned 40, but finally managed to complete my first full marathon in 2022 i.e. 42.2k right before I turned 42.How did you prepare for your first full marathon, and what was the experience like?I had made it my mission to attempt a full marathon before I turned 42. I got a lot of encouragement from my running group and coach Savio Sir.Running is one of the few sports that amateurs, pros and elites all compete in the same race but are not competing against each other, so the respect you feel for someone running better than you is enormous because you can only dream of someday being as good.Running in groups makes you try to keep up with the person faster than you and If you inculcate the discipline to show up everyday and keep running consistently, you are bound to start getting better. My first attempt at a full marathon was that of invaluable lessons.Firstly, from running 3 days a week to 5-6 days. Then incorporating strength training in addition to the runs. But, most importantly going through a transformational change in my daily diet.By the end of the year, I was a changed man. Waking up everyday at 5am, exercising, eating healthy, and getting fitter by the day and catching up to some of the fastest runners I once looked up to. I completed my first full marathon at TMM 2022 in 3 hours and 46 mins.Completing the Berlin Marathon as a world major must have been a proud moment. Can you share how it felt to achieve this milestone?They say endurance running is like a drug, and most endurance runners experience the runner’s high as it releases endorphins in your body. I guess I’m addicted to this drug!So, after successfully completing the TMM 2 years in a row I wanted to take up the next challenge of attempting the world majors, and saw the perfect opportunity at the 50th anniversary of the Berlin marathon in 2024.It’s difficult to explain in words how amazing it was to participate in this historic marathon and also achieve my personal best time of 3 hours and 23 minutes.With near perfect weather conditions and the largest participation in a marathon of over 50,000 people and thousands of people cheering you all the way through, you can only imagine the running environment, it was electrifying! What are your thoughts and preparations for the London Marathon and your dream of completing all the world's major marathons?Next Stop for me in the World Majors is London in April 2025, and before that is my 3rd Full marathon at TMM 2025 as well as a full marathon at Delhi in February. It’s going to be a busy start to the year to say the least! Training is in full swing as we speak, but every day brings new challenges.Some days the body comes up with new kinds of niggles, and some days the mind plays with you, questioning and doubting your abilities. I’m slowly learning to train my body and mind, and I think the key is to stop overthinking. Just showing up, trying again and again, and not giving up, will make you surprise yourself as to what you are actually capable of. The lesson that everyone is truly limitless, is how far you are willing to go and how mentally strong you can be. This to me is the most rewarding experience of it all.Among the 8 10ks, 8 half marathons, 2 25ks, and 3 full marathons you’ve run, which race was the most challenging, and why?I don’t think I can pinpoint any one particular race as being the most challenging, since every race presents its own unique challenges.You go through a rigorous training for that particular race, and on race day it feels like it is the hardest thing you have ever done, but when the race is over the mental satisfaction that comes out of it you gain confidence in yourself that you can even do better, so in a way each race is like a building block to the next one and each race gives you a learning lesson and makes you grow and get a bit better than the last one.The distance and physical demands for each may differ, but ultimately, it’s the mind that needs to be strong. Overcoming the mental obstacles is just as important as pushing through the physical ones. It's the mental resilience that determines how you perform on race day.How do you balance running with the demands of your professional life as a CEO?Balancing the roles of CEO and athlete is a delicate act, but both have a meaningful space in my life. Each comes with its own set of priorities and demands, but I’ve learned to approach them with equal passion and commitment.As a CEO, my focus is on leadership, decision-making, and guiding the vision of the company. As a runner, the focus shifts to discipline, endurance, and the pursuit of personal growth. But the learnings of both professional life and running are interconnected.Running has actually taught me invaluable lessons that directly translate into my work as a CEO. The patience to wait for progress, the perseverance to push through obstacles, and the mental toughness to keep going when things get tough—these are all qualities that make me a better leader.In the end, both running and being a CEO require dedication, but they also need to bring joy and fulfillment. When you do what you love, and what makes you happy, everything else seems to fall into place.How has running influenced your ability to manage the high-pressure, fast-paced environment of the equity markets?For me, the biggest lesson was to learn to have patience. It is easy to get lost in the fast paced work environment of the equity markets. Running taught me that instant rewards are less satisfactory than delayed gratification.If you find joy in the process of training or working, the end outcome no matter what it is, will always be mentally satisfying and majority of the time the hard work tends to bring success.This cycle then becomes a part of your life and soon you become addicted to the process, and stop worrying about the outcome of the process. I feel like I’m in a much happier place in my life both mentally and physically, all because of running.What are some of the key lessons running has taught you about focus, dedication, and discipline, and how have these lessons translated into your professional life?Being a marathon runner has profoundly shaped my professional life in ways that go beyond physical fitness. The process of training for a marathon is slow, difficult, and often filled with setbacks—much like navigating the challenges in any professional journey.It teaches you to embrace the grind, to trust the process, and to have the patience to see things through, even when progress feels slow. Running requires self-thought and a deep belief in yourself, particularly on those long, grueling training days when it feels like giving up is the easier option.It’s during those moments that you learn the value of perseverance, and that belief in yourself becomes non-negotiable. These traits—dedication, resilience, and mental fortitude—are directly transferable to the professional world. As a marathon runner, you learn to keep moving forward despite obstacles, and that same mindset fuels my leadership and decision-making as a professional.The commitment to the long-term goal, the ability to stay focused, and the strength to overcome challenges are invaluable assets in both running and business.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)