Mumbai, June 11: Skechers, The Comfort Technology Company®, marked a significant milestone in Project K2K as ultra-endurance athlete Kartik Joshi crossed the 2,000-kilometre mark of his ongoing Kargil-to-Kanyakumari run and arrived in Maharashtra, joining members of the running community in Mumbai and Thane as part of the next phase of his historic journey.
Currently undertaking a monumental 4,200-kilometre run from Kargil to Kanyakumari (K2K), one of India’s toughest long-distance running challenges, Joshi has now crossed the significant milestone of 2,000 kilometres as the journey enters Maharashtra wearing Skechers Running footwear including Skechers AERO Burst® and Skechers AERO Spark® among other styles.
After beginning his run from the Kargil War Memorial on May 2, Kartik has traversed high-altitude mountain roads, changed weather conditions, challenging terrains, highways, and city routes while averaging nearly 70–80 kilometres every day.
Marking the Maharashtra leg of the journey, Kartik was joined by members of the local running community and Skechers Run Club during a special run in Mumbai. The occasion also saw Rahul Vira, CEO, Skechers South Asia Pvt. Ltd., interact with Kartik and celebrate the remarkable progress made so far in the challenge.
Rahul Vira, CEO, Skechers South Asia Pvt. Ltd., said:
“Running and performance innovation have always been central to Skechers’ global ethos. Kartik’s Kargil to Kanyakumari journey is a powerful reflection of resilience, consistency, and the drive to push human boundaries—values that sit at the core of Skechers’ performance running category. This extraordinary endurance challenge illustrates that our running footwear including the innovative Skechers AERO Burst is designed to go the distance with comfort that performs through every kilometre. Skechers supports Kartik in this landmark feat of endurance to help his mission to redefine what is possible in long-distance running.”
Speaking about the experience so far, Kartik Joshi said:
“This journey has already tested me in ways I could never have imagined. Crossing Zoji La amidst tough terrains was physically and mentally intense, but the warmth and support from people across the route kept me going. Having Skechers on my team keeping me comfortable along the way has been an asset that tames me closer to completing this adventure.”
Born and raised in Indore, Kartik Joshi is one of India’s promising endurance athletes, known for his discipline and long-distance capability. Through the Kargil to Kanyakumari (K2K) challenge, he represents a new generation of Indian runners taking on landmark endurance feats that test human resilience across the country’s most demanding terrains and conditions, while contributing to the growing momentum of long-distance running and fitness culture in India.
As part of the initiative, the K2K project team also plans to distribute free running kits to over 100 grassroots runners to encourage participation in running sports. The campaign will continue to build momentum across key cities including Mumbai and Bengaluru before culminating in Kanyakumari with a potential record-attempt moment.
Through the journey, Skechers aims to spotlight themes of endurance, discipline, and India’s evolving running culture while organically integrating its performance running category through real-time usage moments.
Skechers AERO Series footwear and more Skechers Running styles are available now at Skechers retail stores and skechers.com.