The Cycle of Reliving and Escaping Trauma in “The Race of My Life”

Abstract

Sports plays an important role in shaping the lives of the players both physically and emotionally, especially of those who deal with trauma. On one hand, it serves as a mechanism for revisiting and reliving painful memories as well as a way of escape from the same. The study explores the complex interplay between reliving and escaping trauma through sports, focusing on Milkha Sing’s relationship with running as depicted in his autobiography, “The Race of My Life” as it offers an in-depth view on the trauma of partition and personal losswhich alternately shaped his personal life and his athletic career. By examining Milkha Sing’s life, the study sheds light on the dual role of sports in processing trauma. His repeated experience on the field forced him to confront the emotional scars of his past, simultaneously providing him with a means to transcend these memories to achieve personal growth. By evaluating this duality, the research attempts to contribute to the broader discourse on trauma in sport literature, offering insights into how sports personalities navigate the fine line between reliving and escaping their past through their engagement in sport.