HYDERABAD: After a long hiatus, the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon will be back on December 19 and is likely to see an overwhelming turnout of over 10,000 runners from across the city, country and overseas. With many of the runners women, CE speaks to a few of them about how they’ve been prepping for the run. “I have been waiting for the schedule to be announced.
I have been preparing for the run for over a year now and will be participating virtually,” says 64-year-old Suseela Pattem, a coach and the third runner up in the 2019 edition of the marathon. “I will be participating from London as I am busy coaching people at ESPA Life (in Corinthia),” she says.
Another participant Dr Meena Ghosh, a paediatrician, started running in March 2020, a few months after she recovered from Covid-19. “I feel better and have recovered from the post-Covid symptoms too. Running has helped me get back to good health. I am excited about the marathon this year, but I may be participating virtually,” says the 61-yearold. Running is all about strength and endurance.
For Dr Uma Chitra, a course coordinator at the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) in Hyderabad, physical exercises such as running are as important as food for the body. “Even though the marathon did not happen last year, I have been running as part of other events. Mostly virtually, but marathons this grand are more than just about running.
It’s about meeting new people and enjoying the sport,” she says. Dr Madhumati, a gynaecologist and senior consultant at Apollo Hospitals, can’t wait to hit the track. “I have been training harder this year and it’s going great. As the event is around the corner, I have a long run in practice. Pre-Covid, I ran many marathons in other cities, on different terrains and climates,” she says.
Poonam Mitta, a regular participant who completed three full marathons, too, has been practising longdistance runs. The event will consist of a 10k run, half marathon (21.095 km) and a full marathon (42.195 km). The race track begins from Necklace Road to the Gachibowli Stadium. The runners will get through the city with a picturesque view of the Hussainsagar lake, IT corridor, Knowledge Hub of Hitec City and Gachibowli.