Our story
We are the Eastern Ghats.
A community born on these trails, built by the people who call these mountains home.
How it began
From the forest to the finish line.
Araku Runners was born not in a boardroom or a city gym — but on the red laterite trails of the Eastern Ghats, where tribal athletes from the Araku Valley have been running since childhood. These mountains are not a backdrop. They are home.
The club was founded by a group of indigenous athletes from the Kondh and Savara communities of Araku, who wanted to do two things: race on their own terrain, and invite the world to experience it alongside them. No outside funding. No corporate sponsors. Just runners, trails, and a shared love of the mountains.
What started as informal weekend runs through coffee plantations and bamboo forests has grown into a structured club — with organized races, weekly training runs, and a community that spans from local tribal youth to national-level trail runners.
Founded in
Araku Valley
Eastern Ghats, AP
What we stand for
Rooted. Open. Running.
Tribal Pride
We celebrate the indigenous heritage of Araku. Our athletes carry the knowledge of these trails in their blood, and we honour that in everything we do.
Community First
Araku Runners is not a club with members — it is a community with runners. Every training run is free. Every voice matters. Everyone belongs.
The Land
We run with the Eastern Ghats, not over them. We protect the trails, respect the forest, and ensure that every race leaves the land better than we found it.
Open to All
From first-time trail runners to seasoned ultra athletes — if you want to run in the Ghats, you are welcome here. No pace requirement. No gatekeeping.
Where we are going
Araku on the world trail map.
Our vision is simple: to make Araku Valley one of the most celebrated trail running destinations in Asia. The terrain is extraordinary — dense forest, dramatic elevation, ancient paths through tribal villages. The world just hasn't discovered it yet.
We are building the races, the community, and the infrastructure to make that happen — one training run at a time.
The people behind the runs
Founding athletes.
Sivaji Pangi
Co-founder & Race Director
Born and raised in Araku Valley. Shivaji has been running these trails since he was eight years old. He leads race planning and route design for all Araku Runners events.
Prasad Korra
Co-founder & Community Lead
A Kondh tribal athlete and community organiser, Prasad drives the training run programme and ensures Araku Runners remains rooted in its community values.
Srinivasa Rao Vanthala
Head Coach & Trail Guide
With over 15 years of running the Eastern Ghats, Hemanth leads weekly training runs and mentors young tribal athletes entering trail running for the first time.