"RUN FOR... YOUR FRIENDS, RUN FOR YOUR CHILDREN, RUN FOR THE POLAR BEAR, RUN FOR YOUR RIGHTS, RUN FOR YOUR HEALTH, RUN FOR YOUR FITNESS, RUN FOR THE WOMEN'S CAUSE, RUN FOR THE FORT, RUN FOR THE LAKE, RUN FOR A BETTER LIFESTYLE, DON'T STOP, RUN FOR SPORTS, RUN FOR THE FUTURE, RUN FOR THE GOOD TIMES, RUN FOR THE NOT-SO-GOOD TIMES, RUN FOR SOMEONE, RUN FOR HYDERABAD, RUN FOR YOURSELF, JUST RUN, CELEBRATE THE SPIRIT OF HYDERABAD"
I got an opportunity to participate in a marathon event conducted in Hyderabad on 30th Nov. I had this idea of running in a marathon since many days. I remember missing out on couple of occasions before in Chicago and Bangalore. But this time, the timing was right and I got few days to prepare for the long run. Considering the fact that I didn't have any previous experience in these long runs, I set my target to 10kms and not the half-marathon amongst the 2 options available in the event.
Well, the day started off early as all the participants were requested to assemble at 6am at People's plaza which is situated next to the Hussain sagar lake in Hyderabad. The route fixed for the 10kms run: People's Plaza, Necklace Road ->Sanjeevaiah Park -> Sailing Club -> Tank Bund -> Ambedkar Statue -> Secretariat and back to People's Plaza, Necklace Road. This is the best route one can come up with in this city as this forms the circumference of Hussain sagar lake. The weather was perfect for the run - cloudy and breezy. Huge crowd turned up on this event, an overwhelming response to be appreciated. You could see children, senior citizens, people on wheelchairs - quite a scene to witness!
The start was delayed by few mins, thanks to the VIP's been invited and the related activities planned for them. Nonetheless, that didn't dampen the spirit a bit :). I noted 7:35am as the start tick and begun my run along with my couple of friends to whom I had told 'We are going to complete the run at any cost' - many a times! I ran the first 4 - 5 kms at a nice pace of 10 - 11 kph but had to slow down later as I hadn't run more than 5kms in one stretch before. My legs felt some kind of numbness after few more kms, but was determined to continue my jog. Running along with ever enthusiastic children, athletes and other determined people is a nice feeling. During the last 4kms phase, my friend who had lost some speed, returned and we encouraged each other and finally reached the finish line with a timing of 63 mins. Frankly speaking, sighting the finish line was such a satisfying feeling. We later stood near the finish line relaxing to see others finish the race. All congratulated, applauded each other for completing the race, for the effort and for the spirit!
Today when I checked the official site for the results and timings, I noticed that I stand at 207th position with a timing of 1:12:38(which I really doubt;-))! Quite a satisfying event.
Bravo Dude.Way to Go! Hope you would beat that timing by half in the next Marathon.Chicago Beckons! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.adventure-marathon.com/LaSalle-Bank-Chicago-Marathon-2008.aspx
this is cool stuff. running the shorter version is a great way to start. I too want to run a marathon :) atleast a half to start with. It goes to say that u r really fighting fit :) keep it up. As u have written running along with kids ... eng crowd and not to forget the old .. is always an inspiration and the sense of achievement must be really satisfying ... Great job. Another pt to note that in india Marathon runs are not as much appreciated as they are in the US.
ReplyDelete@Ajoy
ReplyDeleteI agree that many people in India doesn't show interest in preparing and completing these marathons but at least they are turning up to these events like other cultural/social events :)
And to tell you, the day is not far when they appreciate these marathons in the true sense..