OFF BEAT Dream Runners is a neighbourhood effort to stay fit. Prince Frederick finds out what inspires its members to run their daily miles
The Swaminathans are living their dream. Depressed about being overweight and unfit, they longed for hourglass figures and good health more than anything else. That’s when they discovered Dream Runners, a close-knit neighbourhood group that coaxes and, if necessary, bullies its members into following a strict running schedule. This informal group, which is made up of residents from areas proximal to the Elliot’s Beach, such as Besant Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur and Adyar, has produced many happy scripts and the Swaminathans’ reads like a fairytale.
“Through running and diet control, my wife Viji shed 27 kilos in a year. She is 63 kg, fit and off her blood pressure tablets. One of our daughters, Keerthana has lost over 25 kilos. After she began to run daily, she got better at her studies — this underlined the mind-body connection vividly for us. In her XII Std exams, she scored 91 per cent. Besides managing my weight, I have succeeded in keeping my sugar levels under control,” says S. Swaminathan, CEO of Woodpecker Furniture. “But for Dream Runners, we would not have come this far.”
The group derives much of its charm from two factors: all the runners are on back-slapping terms with one another and entire families are part of the group. “The daily runs enable us to connect with our friends as well as spend quality time with our families,” adds Swaminathan.
Members believe the group which was started on a whim four years ago by a bunch of fitness fanatics has managed to stand the test of time. It began as a neighbourhood initiative and has stayed within the neighbourhood it was launched to serve. “When a group grows unwieldy, the sense of community is lost. Dream Runners has grown from strength to strength, because it has stayed small enabling everyone to know everybody else. First and foremost, we are friends and that realisation drives all interactions. You can’t say ‘no’ to a friend, when he calls you to join the daily run out of concern for your health,” says Dinesh Victor, CEO of SIP Academy.
Viji Swaminathan explains how slackers are dealt with. When the calls are not returned, a battalion goes and knocks on their doors and takes them ‘captive’ to the road. The regular runs that begin at 5 a.m. are centered around the Elliot’s Beach, the KFI and Gandhi Nagar. The group follows a weekly running schedule.
Radha Rangaraj, relates how excuses are not tolerated. She says, “Most women in the group take care of elders and this can be a good excuse for staying away from the runs. When you offer this excuse, some woman will certainly tell you how she has managed to run daily despite a similar situation at her home.”
That’s the advantage of having a group governed by a sense of informality and camaraderie. We don’t want Dream Runners to grow bigger, but want it to inspire other neighbourhoods to start their own groups.”
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Dream Runners though originally meant to motivate fitness freaks has produced avid marathoners too. The group — which has around 35 members — has runners who constantly push themselves to a higher level. From taking part in marathons in Chennai and other parts of the country, they are working towards staging their first public half-marathon event.
The Dream Runners Half Marathon 2012 is scheduled for July 15. Deepak Bhaskaran, an IT consultant who found his way to fitness through this group following a bone-crunching accident, says the running loop covers Besant Nagar and nearby areas as a tribute to the people who have kept this initiative going for four years. While this run — which has an entry fee — is open to all, the running route is aimed at highlighting its local moorings. “Necessary permissions are being sought for the half marathon (21.1 km) and a 10 km run,” says Deepak. “Around 300 runners are expected to participate.”
Shahul Hameed, a CEO of a software firm, says, “Even runners from Bangalore have registered.”
Certificates, medals and finisher T-shirts are in store for the runners. Registration is open until July 8 at dreamrunners.in
Keywords: Dream Runners, fitness awarenss
In this rat race of life where no one has the time to even understand oneself better, this initiative by the "Dream Runners" need to be applauded.
This gives quality time not only to spend with your family and friends but also to keep oneself fit..
They are setting path for a healthier India!!!
I long to register my name for the 10 Km to start with,but for my inability to be present around.Well will join the group next time. I wish "Dream Runners" a great success of the event and in future endeavours.Swaminathans are real role model for the rest."Long Live Dream Runners and their efforts!
Great work to organise the race hope to run in a full marathon for
charity. Keep doing the good work, keep running and making us run.
Dream runners you rock. Hope we all enjoy this run and
this event becomes a success. Keep on organizing these
kind of events for charity.
Way to DR.Keep running and inspiring.Hope you organise this event well
and set a standard for others to emulate.
These are age old concepts being followed by the Armed Forces to extract
the best from Cadets, Men during training. Civilians are alien to these
and portray as if they have discovered something new. It would therefore
be wise for the country to impart military training on each and every
citizen for a period of time which would assist in augmenting such
feeling inside them... and will go a long way in solving majority of
problems which India is going through...
Way to Dream Runners! I hope your initiative will bring out more and
more runners off their comfy couches and hit the road to fitness! All
the best for the event. I am sure all your hard work will pay dividends
richly.
Inspirational!
Wish them the best to enroll more people into the club and make Chennaites much more healthy.
I have been living in Besant Nagar for the past thirty seven years. Besant Nagar is synonymous with the Schmidt tomb shown in the background of the photo linked to the article. We the selfish human beings take care of our health so carefully with health run etc. Has any one noticed the deteriorating condition of the Schmidt's tomb (note the big crack appearing at the top). Will some one take it to the concerned for immediate action much before the structure could fall on the heads some love couple? (since the place is used as a lovers' stage)
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