This is Neeraj's story... He was born in India and grew up with the typical norms and traditions of his community, spending a few of his key formative years nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, in the idyllic village of Nainital. In 1994, he had the opportunity to visit the US through an exchange program, and it was quite the culture shock. He ultimately stayed though. Settling in Louisville, eventually getting married and landing in a career as a Physical Therapist. And while not athletic as a youth or young adult, he found his way to running and eventually to trail running. In late 2024, Neeraj won the lottery...the 2025 Western States Endurance Run lottery that is. In a race where the odds of getting selected are somewhere between the Powerball and Kentucky Derby Trifecta, Neeraj got in. He trained and ran the best race he could that day, but ultimately the timing clock on the Auburn track went blank about two minutes before Neeraj was able to cross the finish line - no belt buckle, no official finish time and no certainty that he would ever get the chance to run Western States again...and then something magical happened. Sometimes fate has a way of knowing just who to shine down on. This is his moment and this is his story.

iRunFar Article: https://www.irunfar.com/neeraj-egbert-2025-western-states-100-golden-hour-ticket-winner-profile

Town of Nainital: https://uttarakhandtourism.gov.in/destination/nainital

Western States: https://www.wser.org/

Hurt 100 Trail Race: https://hurt100.com/

Neeraj on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/egbertne47/

Joey's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Run_Joey_Run

Running Behind on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/running.behind_pod

Joey's Strava Profile: https://www.strava.com/athletes/111237895

Artwork by Ed Linder