BENGALURU: Over the last three months, Ranjini Gupta, a fitness coach and mother of two, has put herself through a gruelling training schedule focused on speed workouts and marathon-specific long runs. This is for the prestigious Boston Marathon (a 42.19-km race which itself has a stringent qualification process).
For Gupta, running began as an escape, a little ‘me-time’ that blossomed into a defining passion, post the birth of her second child a decade ago. Currently in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Gupta is one among the many amateur runners taking part in the Boston Marathon. “Running chose me,” Ranjini says, adding,
“The Boston Marathon is referred to as the holy grail of running in our circuit. Being able to qualify has been a dream.” Despite this being her third qualification, it will be her first actual race in Boston.
Vikas Chawla, director of Operations at a tech giant in the city, sees the Boston Marathon as the final jewel in his six-star marathon quest, having run marathons across Berlin, New York, London, Chicago, and Tokyo. “I planned to earn the last star of my six-star journey at Boston,” he says, adding, “Among all major metros in India, Bengaluru’s weather is a blessing for runners; you can run at any time during the day, apart from the peak summer season of 30-45 days. I have been running in the evenings and nights to balance my work schedule.”
This year, Bengaluru has been gripped by an unprecedented heatwave, posing additional challenges for marathon training. “Simulating the weather conditions here is difficult because Bengaluru is extremely hot. It was quite challenging; for my long runs, I had to wake up early to finish before becoming too dehydrated. The course also has rolling terrain, so I tried to simulate that by running the final part on flyovers to see how my legs responded when fatigued,” shares Shilpa Thergoankar, a tech professional, who initially took up running to boost her cardiovascular health. “It’s my first time here, and I just want to enjoy the course – now that all the hard work for qualifying is done,” she says.
For Gautham Bhagawan, COO of a hospital group, the Boston Marathon marks the culmination of his World Marathon Majors tour, a journey that began a decade ago in Chicago. “I’m fortunate to be completing my World Marathon Majors in Boston,” he shares, adding, “My main aim is to enjoy and complete the race, earning the six-star world marathon majors medal. My family is here to cheer me on, making it an even more special moment.”
A runner’s holy grail
One of the oldest and most prestigious long-distance races in the world, the Boston Marathon – held every year on the third Monday of April – has been a long-standing Boston tradition and a highlight in the international running calendar. From a modest beginning, the event has evolved into a global spectacle, attracting over 30,000 participants from the world over. The iconic course guides runners through a mix of hilly countryside and the streets of Boston. The 2024 edition is the 11th event since the marathon was marred by an act of domestic terrorism in 2013, leading to the death of three people and injuring nearly 300.