In May 2026, runners from 28 states gathered in Uttarakhand's remote Niti Valley for a three-day ultra-running event held nearly 4,300 metres above sea level, near the Indo-Tibetan border. 

Among the 933 athletes who took part was 25-year-old Anurag Rawat, who completed the 10-kilometre category in the thin Himalayan air.

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For most participants, the altitude alone made this a test of endurance. For Anurag, who was born with cerebral palsy, it was the culmination of a journey that began with doctors and teachers telling his family that his life would have limits.

The future others tried to define for him 

Cerebral palsy is a neurological condition that affects movement, posture, and muscle coordination, caused by disruptions to brain development before or shortly after birth. 

It is among the more common motor disabilities in Indian children, with studies estimating a prevalence of roughly three cases per 1,000 children nationally, though experts believe the real figure could be higher because of gaps in rural healthcare access and diagnosis. 

For Anurag, originally from Pauri Garhwal and now based in Delhi, the condition meant a childhood of navigating a world that wasn't........

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