CHENNAI: The track is set, runners are on point and waiting for the flag to go down. As the whistle blows, they get on their feet and get set towards the finishing line, which is 42 km away. Yes, you heard that right. Running a marathon has become a favourite activity. From smaller sprints to running a full marathon, people have been taking it up seriously over the last couple of years. By maintaining consistency, staying fit and eating healthy, some enthusiasts have been running maybe two or more marathons in a year itself. “I started running back in January 2010. The first full marathon that I ran was the Kaveri Trails. I have since run 55 marathons in six different countries including Dubai, Singapore, Malaysia, USA, Sri Lanka and India” says Neville J Bilimoria, a popular marathoner.
Growing popularity
Over the years, the number of running enthusiasts has also increased in the city, along with the number of running events. “Back in 2007 when we were running there were hardly any events, we would be going around searching for events. But now things have changed so much. Running has come a long way in Chennai. Now, every Sunday there is an event,” says Shahul Hameed M, who has been running marathons for over 10 years now. With more and more people turning to fitness, the community has also been growing quite strongly. There are many groups that organise these runs regularly. Paul Pradeep who belongs to the Valasai Venghais (Get Out, Get Fit) group, a local running and fitness community of around 50 members and believes in promoting a healthy lifestyle for people in and around Valasaravakkam/ Alwarthirunagar/ Virugambakkam/Nesapakkam/Ramapuram points out that there are bigger running communities like Chennai Runners, Chennai Trekking Club, Dream Runners etc. who have many chapters and several members following them. They conduct some of the best marathons in the city. “I remember in 2010 a handful of runners used to train for marathon. Now, we see so many people training for marathons, which is a great sign and an encouragement for others to take up running,” adds Neville.
Work out and diet
Running at a slower pace requires a lot of stamina and strength. “I hate gyms and running is my only fitness regime. I do stretches to relax my muscles, pre and post runs. I prefer freshly cooked food,” says Saikarthick Raghupathy. Shahul, on the other hand, prefers to break down his workout between running and cross fitness training, which includes hitting the gym at times, as well. “You must ensure proper rest. I respect my rest days a lot and on these days, all that I do is sleep,” he says. Similarly Rekha Sudarsan, co-founder, Dream Runners, says that she gives a lot of importance to rest and restore, and hence gives a lot of importance to her nutrition.
For a cause or just fitness
While several marathons are conducted just for the sake of running, today there are so many which are conducted to support a cause or two. From creating awareness about environmental or health-related problems to using the platform as a fundraiser, several causes have been attributed to the same. V Raman Ravindran of Bharath Marathons says, “Our first edition was to promote a Tobacco Free India and the second was to create awareness about HIV.” While some feel that attributing a cause to the run will make a difference, others like Siddharth Daga feel that it might not really matter to the runners where the money is being used. “They will register anyway, and there might be some sense of satisfaction,” he adds.
