Her story
From Asthma to Marathons: Sujaa's Long Road
Sujaa (aka Priya) is an RRCA-certified long-distance running coach who joined RHWB as a runner in Season 3 and as a coach in Season 6. She lives in Westford, Massachusetts, with her family and their hunky "puppy" Max.
Sujaa (aka Priya) is an RRCA-certified long-distance running coach who joined RHWB as a runner in Season 3 and as a coach in Season 6. She lives in Westford, Massachusetts, with her family and their hunky “puppy” Max. Sujaa is a coffee connoisseur, enjoys a variety of musical genres, is an avid traveler, a hiking enthusiast, and a movie buff. She thrives on a good challenge—whether it’s badminton, board games, poker, or trivia.
During her school days, Sujaa led an active athletic life, but after developing asthma in her teens, sports took a back seat until much later. After having her two boys and well into her 30s, she rediscovered her love for sports through badminton, turning it into a regular lunchtime routine with a coworker that lasted about seven years.
When her badminton group eventually dissolved, Sujaa found a new passion in hiking. Alongside her husband Raghu and their children, Vishal and Rithvik, she spent many summer and fall weekends exploring the beautiful hiking trails in neighboring New Hampshire, with some summer holidays dedicated to multi-day treks.
Sujaa has completed over 50 unique hikes, mostly in the U.S., including the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim. Her more prominent international hikes include Mount Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp (EBC), and the Annapurna Circuit Trek—all organized by her high school classmate, Coach Bala, who is deeply passionate about mountaineering.
In 2019, Sujaa took up distance running to get fit for the EBC hike, finding a 5K to be a formidable challenge at the time. However, with Coach Bala's encouragement, she joined his half marathon training program in January 2020, and since then, there has been no looking back.
Under RHWB training with Coach Bala since Season 3, Sujaa has completed several half marathons and five full marathons. Initially, most of these were virtual races due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but she finally experienced live racing in 2022. That year, she achieved a half marathon PR in April at the Newport Road Race in Rhode Island and a marathon PR in October at the Abbott World Major Chicago Marathon. Most recently, she completed the New York City Marathon in November 2023.
- 2019Took up distance running to get fit for the Everest Base Camp hike
- January 2020Joined Coach Bala's half marathon training program
- 2022Experienced live racing; set half and full marathon PRs
- November 2023Completed the New York City Marathon
- Season 3Joined RHWB as a runner
- Season 6Joined RHWB as a coach