Er. Jehangirji Mobedji, the Panthaky (Head Priest) of Dadysett Agiary (Fountain, Mumbai) for over 50 years now, and his son, Yazad, have been regular participants at the Bombay Marathon, partaking of the Marathon in 2007 and 2011, respectively.

The father-son duo recently completed the 2023 edition of the Bombay Marathon, reiterating their steely determination towards the sport. 71-year-old Jehangirji and his 40-year-old Yazad completed the Half Marathon in three and a half hours, alongside over 55,000 participants, comprising a good number of septuagenarians.

What makes this duo stand out from the rest is Yazad’s extraordinary journey which serves as an inspiration to all. Born in 1983 with severe complications, Yazad was unable to even stand till the age of four. Between 1987 and 2000, Yazad underwent a series of major surgeries (including an open-heart and other neuro-surgeries), which enabled him to overcome severe congenital disabilities. Today, Yazad has made a mark across several fields.

In 2016, Yazad met with a severe road accident resulting in head injuries and had to take a break from all sporting activities for over 6 months (thus missing the 2017 Marathon). Jehangirji too battled medical issues, in the same time period.

But as they say, time heals all wounds and the Mobedjis bounced right back, putting their injuries past them, and returned to active training post April 2017. There’s been no looking back since, with the duo practicing daily, even through the Covid pandemic, to maintain peak fitness levels. What is it that keeps them going? It’s the sheer joy of running that keeps us going,” they say, as they live up to their mantra, ‘We do not compete; rather, we complete!”