Anirudha Joshi
Coach
"Running teaches important life lessons such as resilience, persistence, accountability, respect and patience."
Ani is an RRCA-certified coach who has been part of the RHWB family since Season 4. He lives in Edison, New Jersey, with his wife Arti and their children, Ayush and Arjun. They are a true running family—each of them has been part of the RHWB group for a couple of years now, and they love every bit of the program. Together, they have completed multiple long-distance races. Professionally, Ani works for Amazon in New York.
Ani has been involved in sports since childhood, representing his school and college teams in cricket and badminton. His running journey began in 2013 when he was inspired by a friend to make a New Year’s resolution to learn long-distance running and complete a half marathon. In October 2013, he achieved this goal by running his first half marathon at the Staten Island Marathon.
In Coach Ani’s words, “Crossing the finish line of my first race was one of the best feelings.” He loves the simplicity and convenience of running, and while it can be physically exhausting, he finds it mentally and emotionally recharging.
Since that day, running has become a passion and a habitual routine for him. He set a goal to complete 2 to 3 races every year and has completed close to 20 half marathons by 2021. In April 2021, he ran his first full marathon in Brooklyn.
In addition to running, Coach Ani enjoys playing cricket, golf, and badminton and loves to go hiking with his family and friends.
During the pandemic, Ani witnessed the positive impact that Bala and the RHWB program were making in people’s lives. Inspired by this, he decided to join the RHWB force in 2020 with the objective of helping new runners benefit from his running experience. Season 8 will be his third season as a coach. Coach Ani’s coaching philosophy is simple: “Slow but steady makes you a better runner. Let’s focus on building a foundation, developing and sharpening that foundation, and finally… letting it roar on race day!”
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