Too Fit To Quit: Tara & Sushila Thapa’s Running Journey After 50 With Ryan Fernando’s Qua Nutrition
Usually on my show, I sit across from film stars, cricketers and people with millions of followers. This time I did something different. I flew to Dehradun, the city people move to when they want to retire, to meet a couple who look completely ordinary at first glance.
Their story is anything but ordinary.
Tara and Sushila Thapa started running after the age of 50. At the exact age when most Indians start negotiating with their knees, their energy and their excuses, these two ran in the opposite direction. Literally. Today, nine years later, they run marathons, compete in masters athletics, and are known across Instagram as Two Fit To Quit.
And now, they’re working with my team at Qua Nutrition. Here’s their story, what I learned from them, and what we’re building together.
Who are Two Fit To Quit?
Tara and Sushila Thapa have been married since 1995, an arranged marriage that has now crossed 30 years. Tara runs a shop in Dehradun where he sits from 10 AM to 9 PM. Sushila is an LIC advisor who also runs the household. Neither of them was a professional athlete. Before 50, neither had ever run more than a school or college race.
Today they run together, train together, and share their journey with thousands of people who need proof that age is not the end of fitness.
Their motto says it all: We don’t quit. We’re too fit to quit.
Tara’s story: one party, one taunt, one 5 AM promise
Tara’s running journey started at a party. He was the only one at the table who didn’t drink, and his friends started teasing him. If you don’t drink, how do you enjoy yourself? Then came the question that stung: what time do you even wake up?
His honest answer was 7:30 or 8 AM, and only after his bed tea. His friends laughed. You don’t drink, you don’t wake up early, you don’t do anything for your health.
What’s the point?
That night, lying in bed, it clicked. Tara asked himself a simple question and decided that from the next day, he would wake up at 5 AM and run.
Day one did not go well. At 51, he ran out the door the way kids run, managed a few steps, and stopped, gasping. He felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. He decided running was not for him.
But here’s the part every beginner needs to hear. He kept waking up at 5 AM
anyway. Even when he couldn’t run, he kept showing up on the road. A month later, the habit had formed.
Then one cold December morning, the coldest stretch of Dehradun winter, he woke at 4 AM and saw an elderly woman running towards him under the streetlights. She was moving slower than his walking pace. Tara thought she’d stop in a few minutes, so he followed her to see how far she’d go.
She took him five kilometres.
That’s when he understood the single most important lesson in running after 50: start slow. Within a few months, he was running faster than her.
Tara also had chronic back pain for almost a year before this, likely from sitting in the same position at his shop for eleven hours a day. Running and regular exercise were what helped him turn it around.
His advice on waking up early is something I’m going to borrow forever. He says there are two of you: you and your mind. The mind will always tell you to stay under the blanket. Force it for a while, and soon the habit takes over. Then the mind disappears, and you and your mind become one.
Sushila’s story: told she needed a knee replacement, she ran a 400m instead
Sushila’s story is the one I keep thinking about.
Years of standing in the kitchen or sitting for long hours had given her knee problems. In 2018, doctors advised her to get a knee replacement. She watched Tara fix his back pain through exercise and decided she’d try the same route first.
She did not start by running. She walked for six to seven months before attempting anything more. She went through painful shin pain along the way. Then, while cheering for Tara at a masters athletics meet in Dehradun, people encouraged her to participate. She entered the 400m race, her first race since school, and finished second.
That was the beginning. She kept going back to masters athletics every year, built a community of friends, and today she runs marathons. No knee replacement.
I want to be careful here: every knee is different, and Sushila’s path was her own, built slowly and under medical advice. But what she showed is what research keeps telling us. When muscles around a joint get stronger, the joint gets support. Women who exercise tend to have fewer falls, better bone density, and lower rates of diabetes and hypertension as they age.
Her message for women over 50 is simple: you take care of your husband, your children and your whole family. Take care of yourself too. If the woman of the house is healthy, the whole family is healthy.
What I shared with them: nutrition for runners over 50
On the podcast, Tara and Sushila turned the tables and started asking me questions. Here’s what came up, because these are the same questions I get from runners in their 50s and 60s at my clinic every week.
How much protein does a runner over 50 need?
Tara weighs 58 kg. For a marathon runner, I suggest roughly 1.5 g of protein per kg of body weight, so he needs around 85 to 100 g of protein a day.
Now here’s the reality check. If he tried to get all of that from chana, he’d need to eat around 400 g of it in a day. Nobody can do that. This is why a balanced plate matters: milk, curd, paneer, eggs, fish, chicken, soya and dals all bring different amounts of protein, and the job is to plan them across the day.
The deeper problem I see with people over 50 who start running: they eat less to lose weight, and the body responds by breaking down muscle. A year into running, they’re lighter but weaker. After 50, muscle is precious. Your diet has to protect it.
Is intermittent fasting good for runners over 50?
Tara has been doing intermittent fasting for about a year and asked me whether it’s right for him.
Intermittent fasting gives your digestive system and pancreas a break and can help with insulin control. But if you have diabetes, hypertension or fatty liver, please do it only with a medical dietitian.
For marathon runners, an 8-hour eating window makes it very hard to fit in 100 g of protein. Your stomach fills up before you hit your target. For runners in training, I usually recommend a 12-hour eating window, which leaves room for four proper meals and real nutrition.
Do you need protein powder?
Everyone in India is being told to take protein powder. Our traditional food already has protein, if we know how to plan it. Indian women, I always say this: you are the first dietitian and the first nutritionist in your home.
If you do take a supplement, 20 to 30 g after training can help. But most protein powders in India are whey, which comes from milk, and many people’s digestion doesn’t handle dairy well. I’ve seen runners take whey because a coach told them to, improve their timing in six months, and wreck their gut in the process. Check your gut tolerance first. Also, powders have no fibre, so pair yours with a fruit if you’re running (and be careful about the extra calories if you’re not very active).
Which tests should a runner over 50 do?
Start with a body composition scale that shows fat percentage and muscle percentage, not just weight. Then get blood work done. I look at serum albumin and globulin for protein status, ferritin (very important for runners), haemoglobin, and iron. Women who haven’t reached menopause lose iron and protein every month through menstruation, so this matters even more for them.
Why walking still matters, even for runners
Here’s something personal. I used to run at 28 or 29, until knee pain started. My doctor told me my cartilage was wearing faster than normal and suggested I move to martial arts for cardio, with less impact. Today my cardio is karate. Not everyone is a runner, and that’s okay.
But everyone can walk. At lower intensity, your body uses a bigger share of fat as fuel. Even runners can put on weight after 50, and a simple walk after dinner helps. I tell every couple in India: after dinner, while the kids are watching TV, go for a 20 to 30 minute walk together. It’s good for fat loss, and it’s even better for the marriage. Tara and Sushila agreed instantly. Running together made them understand each other better than ever.
The collaboration: Two Fit To Quit x Qua Nutrition
After the podcast, we decided to go further. Tara and Sushila are now working with Reethu and Lopamudra, nutritionists at Qua Nutrition, on a fully personalised plan.
Each of them has a different goal:
Tara wants to improve his pace. Nine years in, he wants to run faster. His plan is being built around performance and pacing.
Sushila wants better recovery. Less fatigue and less pain after runs. Her plan is built around recovery.
This is exactly why I asked the question on the podcast: would you rent a marathon shoe? Would you wear someone else’s? They both said no immediately. Then why eat someone else’s diet? Two people, same home, same kitchen, same running route, and still two completely different nutrition plans.
The best part is that they’re documenting everything in real time on @twofit.to.quit. What works, what doesn’t, with nothing hidden. They’ll post an update every month. As they put it themselves: this isn’t magic. It will take hard work and time. But they want to show India that you can improve after 50, with the right guidance.
India, what’s your excuse?
When young clients come to my clinic in Bengaluru, they often bring their parents along. I always ask the parents why they don’t exercise or follow a diet. The answer is almost always the same: our time has passed.
Tara has the perfect answer to that. Retirement is when you’re supposed to enjoy life. If you look after your health even a little, you’ll climb the hills to Badrinath on your own feet instead of being carried. And there’s no joy like walking on your own feet.
Here’s a secret from my clinic. The people aged 60 to 80 who come to me are the most proactive of all. They tell me their body is their most expensive real estate. It’s people in their 50s who think the job now is to save money in the bank and earn interest, while doing nothing for their heart, brain or body.
Wealth matters. But after 50 or 60, you’ll need health more than wealth, and good health is what lets you actually enjoy what you’ve earned.
As I said to Sushila: your body is your true life partner.
Tara and Sushila never ran when they were young. They started after 50. So if you’re reading this at 45, 55 or 65, what’s your excuse?
Follow their journey: @twofit.to.quit on Instagram
Want a personalised plan like theirs? Book a consultation with Qua Nutrition. Share this with that lazy brother-in-law of yours, so he can start running too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it too late to start running after 50?
No. Tara and Sushila Thapa both started running after 50 with no athletic background and now run marathons nine years later. The key is to start slowly, often with walking, and build consistency before speed.
How should a beginner over 50 start running?
Begin with brisk walking for several weeks or months, then add short, very slow running intervals. Sushila walked for six to seven months before she started running. Add strength exercises before and after runs, and check with your doctor first if you have joint, heart or metabolic conditions.
How much protein does a runner over 50 need?
Ryan Fernando suggests around 1 to 1.5 g of protein per kg of body weight, with marathon runners at the higher end. A 58 kg runner would need roughly 85 to 100 g a day, spread across balanced meals.
Is intermittent fasting safe for runners over 50?
It can work, but a very short eating window makes it hard to get enough protein for training. For marathon runners, a 12-hour eating window is usually more practical. People with diabetes, hypertension or fatty liver should only try it under a medical dietitian.
Should runners over 50 take protein powder?
Not necessarily. Most protein needs can be met through food. If you use a supplement, 20 to 30 g after training is usually enough, and check whether your gut tolerates dairy-based whey first.
Which blood tests should runners over 50 get?
Useful markers include serum albumin, globulin, ferritin, haemoglobin and iron, along with a body composition check for fat and muscle percentage.
Who are Two Fit To Quit?
Two Fit To Quit is Tara and Sushila Thapa, a Dehradun couple who began running after 50 and now share their running and fitness journey on Instagram. They are currently working with Qua Nutrition dietitians Ritu and Lopamudra on personalised plans for pacing and recovery.
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