BENGALURU: In 2014, Ajay Reddy was to take a group of friends from Hyderabad on a run vacation to Hampi to soak in the cultural and natural beauty, and at the same time actively explore heritage sites. While it didn’t materialise, Reddy decided to make the closed group plan into an open one. While he initially thought that it would be a one-off plan, he found that there were many people interested in such a concept, what has now come to be known as a ‘runcation’.
“I initially didn’t know how people would react, but soon I realised they were quite open to the concept of sight-seeing and enjoying a short vacation,” says Reddy, who went on to start Go Heritage Runs. While runs in various cities and countries have been on the rise, Reddy decided to organise them in spots with a cultural heritage. The first couple of them were in Hampi and Bidar, after which he went on to organise them in Warangal and Ooty.
Now, he’s preparing to hold the first international one in Cambodia in October and November. “It’s about making people, especially interested in fitness, experience everything about a place. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone,” he says, adding that their idea is not a competitive race. “Instead it’s an inclusive one which families, including young children and older folk, can enjoy,” he says, adding that their target audience is clear, it’s those who want to travel and run.
The run vacations are typically 4 days/3 nights with the runs being held on Sunday. For those who need help with accommodation and travel, Reddy’s team helps out, while for those who want a complete package that too can be arranged for. “While the Go Heritage runs is a series of destination marathons at heritage sites across India, runcation is an extension of it and is an immersive experience. What we’re offering is a cultural experience,” he says, adding that it’s usually unlikely that an athlete would want to take such as vacation. “But we’ve had instances where a serious runner have participated,” he says.
Upcoming runs include those to Gwalior, Orchha, Mandu in Madhya Pradesh, Kumarakom in Kerala, Hampi in Karnataka, and a couple in Cambodia. “Right now, we’re focussing on South Asia and South-East Asia. It’s more inclusive and easier on the pocket. In the future we may look at European destinations. But before that we plan to do a run in different parts of the Silk Route,” he says.