JOIN USErick Haskell literally grew up in a sporting arena. As a child, he was an important member of all the family tournaments.
His childhood involved playing a lot of badminton, tennis and he trained in almost all the sports before he reached his teens.
Erick, who is the managing director of Adidas India, took to marathon running only in his 30s and has never skipped a single day of his running routine. He confesses that running is an addiction of sorts. Erick, who hails from Chicago, was in the City recently as part of a 12-hour marathon. He took time off to chat with Metrolife.
A lot of people think United States of America has only fit people but that’s not true, stresses Erick. “The US has its share of obese as well but there is a large segment that concentrates on staying fit. It was a craze to stay fit in the 1980s and now, it looks like that craze is making a comeback,” says Erick.
Erick likes to face challenges head on and says that he looks at every marathon as a challenge and tries to increase the distance with each marathon. “Whenever there’s a marathon, I am happy to wake up in the morning and hit the gym. I train extra hours to build my strength and stay fit,” he confesses.
He applies the same theory to his work as well. “Regular running strengthens the mind and helps me stay creative. I don’t get tired working long hours, thanks to my running. It ensures a healthy and an active mind,” he asserts.
Erick sticks to a vegetarian diet and helps himself to plenty of greens. “I stay away from eating meat as much as I can but greens and veggies are an indispensable part of my diet. When I am in India, I stick to steamed food like idli. A lot of people here may find idli and sambar a little monotonous but I wouldn’t mind having it everyday,” he shares.
Erick notes that Indians are slowly taking to marathon running. “Young Indians are beginning to understand the benefits of running. I see a lot of people hitting the roads in the wee hours. That’s a good change,” he signs off.