KaysFIT Academy

Coach Kay (Kannan Sundararajan): Endurance Coach, Race Director and Founder

High-performance endurance and running coach for marathon and ultramarathon runners, and creator of the RCF Framework. Founder and Race Director of OOTYULTRA, Bison Ultra and Madurai Ultra. Founder and CEO of SESRA, the coaching operating system that helps endurance coaches scale their practice with clarity, consistency and confidence. Based in Bengaluru, India.

About Kannan "Kay" Sundararajan

Kannan Sundararajan, known as Coach Kay, trained as a mechanical engineer (B.E.) and spent 24 years in a corporate career before quitting in 2016 to coach. Running began in 2007. Milestones since: KaysFIT Academy in 2016, OOTYULTRA in 2018, Bison Ultra in 2020, an M.Sc. in Sports Performance Coaching in 2023, Madurai Ultra in 2024 and SESRA in 2026. More than 500 athletes have been coached.

Evidence-based, scientific and athlete-centric coaching

Coach Kay's coaching is evidence-based, following what the research on endurance training supports and backed by an M.Sc. in Sports Performance Coaching. It is scientific: assess, plan, measure and adjust, reviewing training, recovery and nutrition against how the athlete responds. And it is athlete-centric: the athlete's life, work, history and goals come first, and the plan is built around them.

The RCF Framework: six pillars of endurance coaching

RCF stands for Reconstruct the Foundation: a structured approach to resilience, performance and well-being for athletes and professionals. Every plan is built across six interlocking pillars.

  1. Awareness: making sensible choices and balancing health, family, work and training.
  2. Strength: an integral part of the path for endurance athletes, building stable joints and reducing the chances of injury.
  3. Cardio: building and rebuilding the foundation, with no mindless racing or pacing.
  4. Mind & Attitude: the absolute foundation for an athlete, recreational or not.
  5. Health & Nutrition: health comes first; nutrition fuels performance and recovery, with a focus on longevity.
  6. Recovery & Reflections: rest, rejoice, rejuvenate and retrospect.

Ultramarathon races organised by Coach Kay

  • OOTYULTRA: a mountain ultramarathon in Ooty, The Nilgiris, powered by Tea Board India. 10th edition on 21 March 2027. Distances 15k, 30k, 50k, 60k, 75k and 90k.
  • Bison Ultra: an ITRA-certified trail ultramarathon in the Shevaroy Hills, Yercaud. 9th edition on 6 June 2027. Distances 60k, 45k, 36k and 18k.
  • Madurai Ultra: a cultural run in the landscape of Kadambavanam, Madurai. Next edition date to be announced.

SESRA: the operating system for endurance coaches

SESRA is the coaching operating system founded by Kannan Sundararajan, built so coaches can scale their practice without sacrificing quality. Visit sesra.app.

Speaking and corporate workshops

Coach Kay speaks on endurance mindset, leadership and career endurance, including a keynote at the WMG Elite Forum and a session at the EY Leadership Forum, and runs corporate leadership workshops.

Running for impact

Coach Kay's road safety campaign #424242running covered 42 marathons in 42 places over 42 weeks. Since then, 13,000 pledge cards have been signed, thousands have been trained in first aid and CPR, and every OOTYULTRA and Bison Ultra runner is trained online each year, in partnership with Alert.ngo. OOTYULTRA has supported three play parks at village schools in the Nilgiris, with Rs. 11,22,130 committed to community projects.

Contact Coach Kay

Email coachkay@kfita.in, or follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, Strava and X.