Dr Jan Nienu
During my visit to the UK, we decided to meet up with a Lotha Naga physician, Dr Priscilla, who practiced medicine in the UK. Since we were all from the beautiful Wokha Town of Nagaland, we were excited to meet Dr Priscilla, who is also a worldwide marathon runner. Dr Priscilla lives with her husband, Dr Pathak, who is also a retired Physician. We enjoyed our stay with her family and reminisced about growing up in Wokha.
I took the privilege of asking her a few questions to celebrate her achievements and encourage the young and the old to stay active and healthy.
Background
Dr Priscilla: I am a medical doctor originally from Wokha, Nagaland, India.
I have been a family doctor for many years, mostly in the UK. I am now 68 and enjoying my retirement as an older athlete!
As a family doctor, with special interest in diabetes and cardiovascular disease, I was very interested in a healthy and active lifestyle. I tried to remain active myself and aspired to be a role model to my patients, to lead a healthy lifestyle. I used to walk regularly and attend occasional dance classes but did not do any other regular physical activities. I realized walking was not enough and it is also time consuming, so I decided to start running to remain active within the constraints of time with a full-time job.
Initially, I ran for 30 minutes 2-3 times a week and within a year I was running half marathons (13.1 miles). I have remained highly active for many years and my typical running mileage has been consistently around 25 miles per week in addition to other less strenuous exercises such as walking, hiking, yoga/palates and gym workouts for strengths and joints.
Jan Nienu: How many marathons have you participated in?
Dr Priscilla: I was 52 when I first started running, but I didn’t run marathons until after retirement. My 1st marathon was at age 62. I am now 68 and I have been fortunate to complete18 marathons (26.2 miles) so far, in addition to 17 half marathons (13.1 miles) and several other smaller distance running events.
I have been blessed to be able to travel around the world to take part in racing events including several European countries, USA, India and Australia. I give thanks to my supportive family, especially my husband, who accompanies me in all events, and he enjoys taking long walks around the cities while I’m running.
Like most runners, I too aspire to run all the 7 Abbott World Marathon Majors. I have done 4 so far, which are London, Berlin, Chicago and Sydney.
Several of my races were to raise funds for various worthwhile charities which is my greatest running achievement. I have also won a prize money in TCS Mumbai marathon in 2025 for 2nd position in age category which is a bonus!
Jan Nienu: How many medals have you acquired?
Dr Priscilla: My most recent marathon was in Seville, Spain which was my 18th marathon. I have now collected 18 marathons and 17 half marathons and several 10K medals.
Jan Nienu: What is your advice to both the young and the older generations to stay fit and healthy?
Dr Priscilla: It is well known that any physical activity is beneficial to both physical and mental wellbeing for both old and young.
My Advice to older people: It is never too late to start any form of physical activity including running. I meet many older runners even in their 70s and 80s regularly. Some of the older runners perform a lot better than me, which inspires me to continue running for more years to come, and for however long that I can.
Any form of physical activity is beneficial not only for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases but also for strengthening muscles and joints which helps in preventing falls and injuries especially in older people. In my younger days I didn’t realize the importance of strength and balance training. Now as an older runner I take them seriously and incorporate them into my regular training plans to decrease risks of falls and injuries.
My Advice to younger people: Start investing in your health early and you will reap the reward when you grow older. Running as regular exercise is a good option in maintaining normal weight in addition to physical and mental well-being. You don’t need to spend hours doing exercise.
Incorporating short activities, such as 10-15 minutes a few times a day in your busy routine can be rewarding. Expensive gyms and fancy equipment may not always be freely available or accessible, but one can do many things without them when there’s the willingness. The key to reaching your goal is motivation, consistency and perseverance. Rome was not built in a day; it takes months and years to build up your exercise tolerance. Do not give up prematurely, motivation will come when you start regular activities.
As I said, running is not the only way to fitness, but once you start doing other physical activities, you may feel like giving it ago and may become a runner one day and vice versa, when you start running regularly, you will want to do other physical activities too as cross training.
Jan Nienu: Running marathons gives you joy. When will you stop running?
Dr Priscilla: In my experience as a runner over the last 16 years, I feel it has given me tremendous holistic benefits to my health and self-confidence. When I run, I feel beautiful inside even though I may not be beautiful! When you feel beautiful inside, you see beauty in the world and in others, and that says it all!
Any physical activity is good for your physical, emotional and mental health. For me personally I get more joy from running. When I visit new places, it gives me joy to run the towns or cities not only to get myself familiarized with the place but also it gives me confidence to explore the new places by myself.
I have never taken recreational drugs, so I don’t know how you feel when you are high, but I do experience something called a “runner’s high” frequently especially after long runs. Runner’s high is well known to runners, and it is an extremely enjoyable feeling of well-being.
When I run, my mind is full of positive thoughts and I forget all my worries of life, which is very important for my mental well-being. Every morning before I start my day I would spend 15-20 minutes quiet time with the Lord and do some form of physical exercise even if it is just for a few minutes. This way I feel my days are more productive.
I have been fortunate to be able to do high intensity physical activities even at this age. With age, it is unavoidable to get slower, however this should not discourage us from remaining active as long as possible. I would love to continue running long distances as long as I can and I have signed up for 2 more marathons this year in Paris and London in April.
My personal best for marathon time is 4:34:52. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to achieve such marathon times anymore, but this definitely does not discourage me.
I’m the oldest marathon runner member both males and females in my local Running Club called Gade Valley Harriers in Hemel Hempstead. I’m very proud for getting an award for Best Female Newcomer in 2021 and again Female Member of the Month in September 2025.
Jan Nienu: What are some of the challenges and rewards you experienced as a marathon runner?
Dr Priscilla: Running is a lonely business, and it takes a lot of courage and determination to be consistent in your training. Sometimes I must be brave to run in lonely, isolated places.
Membership in a running club is very helpful as you can get training and get to run with other runners. I get to know other runners in my running club to do activities together even outside the club schedules.
Doing activities in a group is always more enjoyable but you don’t always have this luxury so one has to press on to reach one’s goal. It means getting up early (even if you’re retired!) and getting out of the house early in the morning come what may, rain, winds snow or even sun sometimes at least here in UK! Sometimes, I’m out of the house while it is still dark in the morning especially for long runs while training for marathons.
There are always time constraints even for retired people because life is complicated and finding time to fit in your hobbies and time-consuming activities can be challenging! Retired people are also busy looking after family, attending appointments in Hospital, Optician, Audiologist, Dentist etc and not forgetting garden work! LOL
The most challenging part is your mental power and motivation, but they can be overcome many times with consistency in your routines.
Now and again, I will reward myself with new sporting outfits which is another motivator!
I find it very rewarding to mentor new runners and accompany them to run. I was inspired by some people, and I would love to inspire others too. I am glad I have inspired a few friends and family to take up regular physical activities and some of them have become regular runners that has transformed their life. I also get opportunities to raise money for charities, which is very rewarding.
Jan Nienu: What does it take to prepare for a marathon?
Dr Priscilla: It takes mental power and physical strength to train for a marathon. This means healthy and regular eating habits, good sleep, avoiding mental stress, balancing training and recovery periods and cross training with other sports and strength workouts to prevent injuries.
It teaches you discipline, mental toughness and resilience. It is a humbling experience to train for a marathon. It is worth it though when you cross the finish line!
Not forgetting family support, which is extremely important. Many times, they must sacrifice many things to give me the right support. Without their support I would never have achieved what I have achieved.
NOTE: You can follow me on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/31977867
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