Imagine running nearly 100 kilometers a day in punishing, 35°C+ coastal humidity. Now imagine the heat radiating off the asphalt so intensely that the soles of your shoes begin to liquefy, literally fusing your socks onto the skin of your feet.
This isn’t a hypothetical survival movie. This was Day 2 for Rahul Sharma—a born-and-raised Hong Konger who once wore the city’s colours as a U-19 cricketer — who traded the pitch for the open road to set a monumental World Record, dedicating every agonizing stride to Children’s Cancer Institute. He didn’t just survive it; he conquered it, rewriting history by running the entire length of Sri Lanka (566 kilometers) in a staggering 6 days, 13 hours, and 22 minutes to set a brand-new Record. Covering 566 kilometers in just over six days requires a specific kind of madness—or a beautifully pure perspective on life. With his mind and heart set at the right place, Rahul has carved an extraordinary narrative of grit, legacy, and a deeply moving mission to push human limits for a remarkable cause.
This incredible feat, thankfully for us curious and amazed spectators – has been documented and ready to be premiered in the form of a striking, moving and inspiring film, Born to Fly. Adesiflava had the privilege to go one-on-one and deeply personal with Rahul, alongside his director Ali and his PR Ben, for an intimate, raw look at the making of Born to Fly. Ahead of its highly anticipated homecoming premiere at Premiere Elements on June 6th, the crew pulled back the curtain on how three self-described “crazy university students” managed to coordinate, document, and conquer a world-class athletic milestone with zero prior experience.
FIRST THINGS FIRST: THE MUST-ATTEND HOMECOMING PREMIERE
Before we look under the hood of this record-shattering run, mark your calendars. This is not just a film screening; it is a high-octane homecoming celebration and a massive charity drive for childhood cancer research. Tickets are strictly limited.
- 📅 When:Saturday, 6 June
- 🕒 Time:4:00 PM sharp (Red Carpet Photographs start at 3:30 PM)
- 📍 Where:Premiere Elements, Cinema 6, Hong Kong
- 🎟️ Secure Your Seats Now:Book Tickets Here
- 💝 Can’t Make It?You can still change a life. Every dollar raised goes directly to funding high-tech lab equipment for the Children’s Cancer Institute, Australia. Use the link above to donate directly.
What we discovered behind the scenes isn’t just a regular PR-led world-record sports story. It’s a wildly inspiring underdog tale of three passionate individuals who dared to “dream like a kid” and pulled off the impossible. Let’s explore this heroic tale together, as we delve into the answers of the crew to the thoughtfully curated question set from the Adesiflava team, capturing the team’s triumphs, challenges and behind-the-scenes journey through this courageous feat. Lets’ dive straight into the interviews.
First up, we heard from the man himself, on how he accomplished this extraordinary feat-
Adesiflava: Rahul, you were a standout U-19 cricketer for Hong Kong before diving into ultra-running and sports physiology. What was the exact moment you looked at a map of Sri Lanka and thought, ‘I’m going to run the entire length of this country’?”
“I made a kind of deal with myself that the reason I’m doing this is to be someone who can say I’m the best in the world if this is what I do”
Rahul : “For me, I’ve always wanted to be the best at a certain sport. I started off with my father’s dream of me becoming a cricketer. After two knee injuries, I wasn’t able to bring that to life… which led me to spend time searching for what brings me fulfillment. Through rehab, I started running more and before I knew it,I did my first marathon at the start of 2025.I saw someone online run across Australia and reached out to my coach. I said, ‘I ran my first marathon in January 2025. Let’s find a country at the end of the year where, within one year, I set a world record.’ We landed in Sri Lanka. Everything from the distance to managing the logistics… it just seemed like a country where we can make everything come to life.”
Adesiflava: Averaging nearly 100 kilometers a day in 30°C+ coastal humidity is brutal. Can you take us to your lowest physical or mental point during those 6 days? When your body was screaming to stop, what pushed you through the next mile?
Rahul: The two striking points were Day 2 and the penultimate day.
On Day 2, the heat had gotten quite heavy—more than 35°C. It was jarring mind-numbing heat – I actually can’t even recall the majority of the day.
On the penultimate day, I experienced the most physical pain that I have ever in my life in my Achilles tendon. I had to walk close to 60 km through the heat that day. What helped me was a deal I made with myself before the run: to find out if I am as good as I say I am. For me, that comes with navigating through pain like that. I really believe the best athletes in the world or people with that elite mindset, wait for moments like that to then shine. With one day to go, there was nothing that was going to stop me.
Adesiflava: This monumental effort was dedicated to the Children’s Cancer Institute. How did keeping those brave kids in mind change the texture of your pain?
“I can complain about all the Achilles pain I’m feeling on Day 5, but it still doesn’t come close to what a parent or let alone a child might be feeling with the uncertainty of whether they’re going to live tomorrow or not.”
Rahul: Having a cause bigger than myself attached to it helped when things got difficult or tedious. What I experienced can’t even scratch the surface of what a mom who’s just had a kid is finding out that her son or daughter has leukemia. Imagine the pain they must be feeling, right? Keeping that at the back of your mind keeps you a bit more leveled. It’s a good check.”
Adesiflava: You were born and raised right here in Hong Kong. How does it feel to bring this world-record story back home?
Rahul : I am so pumped to be back in Hong Kong to share it with all my family, friends, and well-wishers! It’s almost like a dream come true. We’ve already premiered this in Melbourne, and have received overwhelming positive reviews from people and my crop of friends. And now to bring it back to the people that really helped us raise a lot of money, but also sent so many prayers… I can finally show them that this is where all the hard work went into and I can’t wait!
Adesiflava: One special message for the audience?
We’re so grateful for all the consideration this has got. To the people interacting and coming to watch, I urge them to take away one thing, it is our motto: Dream like a kid. It doesn’t matter if you’re 99 or if they’re 2 years old, I want them to take that message home and maybe do some crazy stuff they never thought they could do. And to always try and be the best in the world while being at it.
“I want to send a message to try something new and try something different and bring their family and friends along with themselves on their journey and and do it together because it’s way more fun that way”
What a moving tale of passion, hard-work and unflinching determination! We then moved on to Ali, the man behind the lens who successfully directed a World Record, that too remotely- let’s learn more about it.
Behind the Lens: Directing a World Record Remotely
This wasn’t a corporate, slickly produced Hollywood venture. It was an organic, chaotic, brilliant effort by a tight-knit crew directed by Ali.
Adesiflava: Ali, documenting an ultra-marathon is a logistical jigsaw puzzle. What were the nightmares of keeping up with Rahul, and how did you capture that raw, unscripted drama?
Ali (Director/Editor/Writer): “The logistical nightmare was that I couldn’t go to Sri Lanka myself, which you’ll hear all about in the documentary. That made it difficult because we had to find videographers and communicate with them through WhatsApp calling and texting while they were busy navigating a world record attempt. It was a massive challenge.
In terms of capturing the raw drama— literally nothing was really scripted. Everything you see was real challenges we were going through at the time. Personally, I don’t have an interest in running! But I think that was important. Someone who doesn’t know much about running making this documentary makes it more relatable to the general public and non-athletes. It makes it easier to connect to the story.”
Adesiflava: Is there any standout, unseen footage with the local community that will captivate the big-screen audience?
“You’ll see some of the footage inside of the documentary where you can really feel the support from the locals, and yes, it was absolutely heartwarming.”
Ali: The way the Sri Lankan community connected with us was amazing. There is a moment caught on camera where a local veteran came up to Rahul waving the Indian flag, showing immense support for him in a foreign country. I think that gave Rahul the little push exactly when he needed it!
Tremendous efforts and unbridled concentration – Ali’s dedication to make this an authentic visual narration of Rahul and team’s strenuous work, is commendable.
The PR Team: An Authentically Wild “Underdog Tale”
The man behind the PR for the film, Ali also shared some personal insights and challenges into what went behind making this sincere, raw, tale of motivation and bold mission. He emphasized just how unique the origins of this project truly were, making the final cinematic cut even more impressive.
Adesiflava: Ben, what were the obstacles or logistical hurdles that the team oversaw as this came to life?
Ben: “This wasn’t a professionally organized, PR-led world record attempt,” Ben tells us. As the lead logistics operator, I was learning everything from scratch from how to reach out to sponsors to how to work best with Rahul’s coach and learning that on the go whilst trying to organize the event presented a challenge in and of itself.
“This was the dream of, at the time, three university students: one who was crazy enough to run the length of a country, one who was crazy enough to organize the whole thing, and one crazy enough to document it”
With no prior knowledge or experience, we learnt everything on the go while balancing university and social lives. It’s a true underdog tale for those who are potentially fearful of dreaming big.
Adesiflava: The VIP Experience: “With red carpet photographs starting at 3:30 PM, what can attendees expect from the energy of the premiere, and how can people support the cause if they can’t make it to the venue?”
Ben:The energy at Premiere Elements on June 6th promises to be “nothing but top-tier, top energy.” It’s like a grand homecoming for Rahul. Premiere is dedicated to a hometown hero who pushed human limits to the absolute brink. Hong Kong needs to show up loud – rejoicing in celebration, inspired in awe, together contributing in support and in empathy with the delicate cause behind it.
AdesiFlava was whelmed by the incredible energy of the story and the genuineness of the team as evident amply during the interview- and lauds the heroic efforts scripted by the team, in real and reel life. For HongKongers, we tell you: this is your chance to be a part of something extraordinary. Part of hope, overcoming fear, strength, motivation, courage – all the while making a real difference in innocent lives. See you on the red carpet!
