BENGALURU: A family that eats together stays together, they say. But here’s a family that runs together, and breaks records together. Meet the Bengaluru-based Y S Rajendra Kumar (father), Darshan Jain (son) and Tanmai D (grandson), who have been taking part in marathons across the country for over five years and now want to use their running for a cause. The trio now aims to help people who have lost their livelihood due to the pandemic, through the Sunfeast India Run As One movement, initiated by Procam International. Here, anyone can register at a fee starting at Rs 99 upwards, and can pledge to walk, run or jog. Donations can also be made beyond the registration fee.
Between April 2019 and January 2020, the Jain family has completed many runs, including TCS World 2019 (10-k), Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2019 (21-k), Tata Steel Kolkata 2019 (25-k) and Tata Mumbai Marathon 2020 (42.2-k). Darshan, 52, who ran his first marathon in 2013, is a part of the Jayanagar Jaguar running group, which has 900 runners across 27 locations in India.
“We get our training plans from our coach on our own app called Onca Run. My entire family is part of the group,” says Darshan, who started running to focus on his fitness, and went on to motivate his father and son to pick it up.
Darshan’s son, Tanmai, an engineering student, started running six years ago. “I couldn’t do much during the lockdown because I had online classes, but now I have a platform that I can use for the betterment of the society,” says the 22-year-old.Rajendra Kumar, 80, a retired bank professional, has been helping migrants through the Karnataka Jain Association, of which he is the treasurer.
“I have been running for six years. Initially, I found it difficult, but once I got used to it, it became a passion. I don’t miss any training session. Now, I hope to help people through it,” he says.