HYDERABAD:A few decades ago, our ancestors would have never heard or experienced the word anxiety, melancholy or lifestyle disorders. Cut to the today, the physical and mental health of human beings is eclipsed by many factors. From pollution to work pressure, struggles and stress are tagging along like a colossal shadow. With keyboard jobs ruling the world, sitting on the chair/couch is the new smoking (perilous to health). However, to fight this monster, various gated communities in Hyderabad are initiating activities that can save us from being servile to couch addiction.
Each gated community has a group of people who participate in marathons every Sunday hosted by the community group head. The group heads are a part of Hyderabad Runners.Four passionate runners started Hyderabad Runners group in 2007 in a small way at KBR Park. It has now expanded to 5,000 people, spread across the world with more than 20k followers on social media. It is one of the biggest running groups in India. It is the first running group in India to organise a world class city marathon. It consists of runners from all walks of life and all levels of expertise, say the runners group.
The team decided to spread throughout the city in gated communities and encourage people to participate in these runs. Their main motto is to ‘Step out of your house for half an hour every three weeks’. It consists of a proper structured route map, energisers for the runners/walkers, apparels, medals, etc. More than 600 families who belong to various professions participate every Sunday. They run together without competing with each other. It does not matter whether you are running to keep yourself in shape or training for a marathon, running with a group always makes a run more enjoyable.
Advantages of participating in these marathons:
Physical fitness: It helps people to achieve a proper and fit body without any artificial mechanism of shedding fat. Upon following right postures of running/walking, people can improve their stamina. As the marathons happen during early morning hours, it keeps them fresh and healthy.
Psychological fitness: A man is a social animal and he should fit himself in any group to avoid isolation. Marathons like these will make him interact with social group which makes him psychologically healthy and lead a less stressful day. It develops community bonding which will increase his self esteem and decrease his dependency. Eventually, they evolve as leaders and their persona changes.
‘Couch2 5k run’ is a special programme initiated by Hyderabad runners which caters to busy mothers who are occupied with their schedule, and also to people who have time constraints to travel all over the city searching for a place to run. It is specially for those who are unaware of the importance and benefits of running. This unique programme has eight weeks of training i.e. including a package of three days of yoga, cross fit, 5k run/walk and other exciting activities. Kids also participate where they will have an energetic activity after 2k run.
Each community has its own ways to motivate people and maintain a positive progression. “In Lanco Hills, after running we take a selfie and post on social media. This act motivates others who haven’t participated in the run join in coming week,” says Lanco Hills group head Ch Kiran. These groups are not restricted to gated communities but open for people who belong to other areas. “In PBEL city gated community, initially it was a PBEL city Run/Walk but now it is changed to ‘Peerencheruvu run/ walk’. We walk together in groups, discuss impactful stories which will motivate others to participate again,” says PBEL city group head Sanjay Fuloria. “We lose ourselves in the beauty of nature while exploring new places through our marathons,” says LB Nagar group head Prabhu.
“We have a fun element such as anniversary runs which includes couples in our community. At the age of 65, people get their first medal of life which magnifies happiness on their faces,” says Rain Tree park group head Ashish Maheswari. “Many individuals who were fighting depression, addiction to narcotics, etc. evolved as transformed individuals in their journey with the help of Couch 2 5k Run,” says Swan Lake group head Prashanth.
Apart from these, the runs play a major role in giving back to the society. People run for charity in renowned marathons and raise funds which will cater to the underprivileged. “Recently, we ran for a lake near Chandanagar. It helped community members to know about the problem and we stood up for it. People feel happy to contribute to the society and come back for such social impact marathons,” says Aparna Construction and Estates, Chandanagar group head Prasad.
To restore the brilliance of the vast heritage and provide visitors an urban environment that is aesthetic, safe and secure, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) initiated Charminar Pedestrian Project in association with Hyderabad Runners called Heritage Run. It included people from different parts of city. “We collect shoes, apparel from people who belong to our community and distribute it among underprivileged kids with the help of various NGOs,” says My Home Jewel group head Manian and Anil Kumar. Runners Srinivas Rao, Amith conclude by saying, “Stray dogs should be kept under vigilance during morning hours, and more parks should be developed.”