Dad who lost baby daughter fuelled by grief -- even while running marathon on Mount Everest
After losing his baby daughter, a man found solace in sweat, pain and unexpected places.
Sandeep Singla, 44, describes himself as a writer, runner and father who is constantly trying to rebuild himself after loss.
A Dutch national of Indian descent, he is based in Qatar alongside his wife and two children, aged three and six.
The couple lived in Singapore from July 2014 to the end of 2017, during which Sandeep worked as a general manager for Shell.
Tragedy struck in 2016 when they discovered their firstborn, Zarouhi, had biliary atresia, a rare liver disease.
Sandeep donated part of his liver to her in a transplant at National University Hospital. However, Zarouhi passed away shortly after the surgery at only ten months old and was buried in Singapore.
Sandeep told Stomp: “I kept thinking, maybe if I had been healthier… maybe I shouldn’t have been the donor… maybe I killed her.”
One morning, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he did his first run – and hated it.
Nevertheless, he persisted, hoping it would lead him back to life.
“It evolved into something bigger than exercise. It became a therapy for me,” he said.
He eventually became “obsessed”, joining marathons and then ultra-marathons, as running became a form of grief therapy.
Sandeep, though physically and mentally committed to the grueling discipline running requires, admits grief can be the most exhausting struggle of all.
“Grief drains your energy, your motivation, your will to care about anything.”
“Running in these places, I am always reminded of the dream I had of showing these places to my daughter, and that is heartbreaking.
“But I chose to imagine that she was there somewhere, in the crowd cheering me up and welcoming me at every finish line.”
Dedicated to furthering his running journey, Sandeep participated in many marathon challenges.
He takes great pride in earning an Abbott Six Star medal in 2023, awarded to those who have completed the world’s major marathons in New York, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, London and Tokyo.
In April 2025, he became the first Indian to finish five ultramarathons under 12 months across deserts in Namibia, Antarctica, Jordan, Mongolia and Chile.
Sandeep ran each 250-kilometre marathon in seven days, traversing over sand, salt flats, river crossings, rocky terrains, dirt paths, grasslands and more.
Named by Time Magazine as one of the “top 10 endurance challenges in the world", Sandeep was the 19th person to be awarded a 4 Deserts Grand Slam Plus medal, a feat only 30 individuals in the world have achieved.
“When you are exhausted, in pain, tired, hungry, drenched in sweat, in the middle of nowhere with no humans near you, you ask yourself why on earth are you doing this?
“It is a bigger purpose. In my case, the purpose is to run with grief and use grief as my fuel.
“It is about defining the legacy of that one little child who transformed me.”
On May 29, he participated in the highest marathon on Earth at Mount Everest Base Camp: the Everest Marathon.
It starts at an altitude of 5,364 metres and descends to Namche Bazaar, a town by the side of a hill at 3,440 metres.
The experience inspired Sandeep to climb a mountain. He said: "I am certain that something in me feels unfinished. The mountains are sort of calling.
"The idea of climbing the highest peak on every continent is fascinating, but I will need to discuss it with my wife. She holds the budget and the time in my life!"
Despite Sandeep’s many accomplishments, the real glory is found in paying tribute to Zahouri.
“Every time I cross that finish line and get a medal, I end up crying.
"The finish lines and medals have stopped being endpoints but instead beginnings.
"They are no longer about conquering grief but are about learning how to carry it and not become buried by it.
“Crossing every finish line doesn’t really feel like conquering something but more like honouring Zahouri.
“These medals are hers as much as they are mine.”
Apart from each run being a reminder of his daughter’s passing, a sudden heart stroke in 2022 and numerous other health conditions left Sandeep often reflecting on his mortality.
“No male in our family has lived beyond the age of 62,” said Sandeep.
“All the men before me died around the same age, as if there was an invisible clock that stopped ticking in early October and the majority of them had heart disorders.
“So, what played on my mind was whether my life is to become part of these gloomy statistics, or if I will perhaps be the one to break them.
“Regardless of whether I will end up with the rule or be the outlier, I don’t want to live in the fear of what will come.
“I don’t want my story to be told as a tragedy but more of someone who lived fully and unapologetically."
As such, Sandeep has two major goals for 2026: the first is to complete seven marathons in seven days across seven continents, with each marathon under four hours.
The second challenge is self-funding and running two 250-kilometre ultramarathons in the USA and Australia.
"It is funny because after every challenge, I promise myself that there is no pressure to define the next big thing," he said.
"I want to enjoy the feeling of having no race date circled on the calendar and no countdown."
Sandeep is frequently approached by other devastated couples who have lost their children, seeking comfort and advice.
“To them, I’d say, I’m deeply sorry.”
“There’s no grief like the loss of a child - I see you. And I know that right now, it feels like life has ended. But it hasn’t.
“Grief, I have learned, is not absence of love or hope. It is the form that love takes when the object of devotion is gone.
“When my daughter was gone, my love for her became my grief. But like love, grief changes over time. It will soften, it will get easier – it will never disappear, and it shouldn’t.
“Take one small step, then another and then another. Slowly, you will be ready to carry your grief, whether it is from loss, illness, or anything else – not as a weight but as a force driving you.
“I have personally experienced it and I promise your loss will walk with you in a way you haven’t imagined.
“You’re not alone. And your story isn’t over yet.”
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