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Man runs 26 km on girlfriend’s 26th birthday; viral video awes netizens: ‘Men in love are…’

The man also reveals that he and his girlfriend are training for the upcoming Mumbai Marathon, just weeks away, but he wanted to dedicate this particular run entirely to her.

2 min readNew DelhiJan 16, 2026 04:18 PM IST

Man runs 26 kms for girlfriend’s 26th birthday viral video

Bhattacharya mentions that he chose to run without earphones so he could stay present and mindful, thinking about joyful moments they’ve shared

Grand romantic gestures usually come in the form of flowers, chocolates, or surprise dinners, but a man has taken birthday celebrations to a whole new level. Avik Bhattacharya recently caught the internet’s attention after he shared a video of himself running 26 kilometres to mark his girlfriend’s 26th birthday. The clip, posted on Instagram, quickly went viral, with many users calling it a clear case of “raising relationship standards.”

The video was shared from @simranxavik, a joint account Bhattacharya runs with his girlfriend, Simran. It begins with Simran explaining that she had planned to run 26 km herself on her birthday but couldn’t because she was unwell. Clearly moved by what followed, she says, “I don’t know how to match this guy.”

The video then cuts to Bhattacharya announcing his plan: “My girlfriend just turned 26, so I’m going to be running 26 km for her birthday.” As he runs, he records short clips, sharing his thoughts and quietly wishing for Simran’s health and happiness.

At one point, he mentions that he chose to run without earphones so he could stay present and mindful, thinking about joyful moments they’ve shared. He also reveals that both of them are training for the upcoming Mumbai Marathon, just weeks away, but wanted to dedicate this particular run entirely to her.

The video shows him steadily ticking off distance markers, 2 km, 4 km, 6 km, 10 km and beyond, while he reflects on how good physical health, as he puts it, is “the base for everything.”

Watch the video:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Simran and Avik (@simranxavik)

Unsurprisingly, the comments section was filled with admiration. One user wrote, “My throat just got heavy.” Another said, “Avik just casually raising the bar very high.” A third joked, “Now should I write NO WAY 26 times. I mean where on earth can one find such a guy DAMN.”

A fourth individual commented, “Men in love are the sweetest versions of themselves.”