Have feet, will run. Have good running shoes, will run. But how far can you go? A runner begins with a 5k, works his/her way up to a 10k run and then trains for half and full marathons. On completing a marathon, the sense of achievement is hard to ignore and there’s the urge to do more. Runners set personal targets, ranging from 3-4 marathons a year to taking part in triathlons and extreme challenges. These targets involve training schedules and financial planning.
Budget travel
Each year, a team from the Hyderabad Runners group participate in different city marathons. “We look at it as an investment for health. I set aside Rs. 30-35,000 each year and every two or three years, plan for an international marathon,” says Rajesh Vetcha. He gives us an idea of how they budget their trips. The group spends Rs. 6000 per head for the Mumbai Marathon weekend. The team travels by train, chooses an affordable lodging, completes the marathon and returns to Hyderabad in time for work on Monday morning.
Marathons become their way of exploring a new destination. “It’s a personal choice and a trade-off,” says Ajay Reddy. “Instead of planning a leisure vacation, I combine visiting a new destination with an event. I choose simpler runs that don’t include much travel,” says Ajay, who participated in three marathons last year.
Marathons in Bangalore, Mumbai or Auroville aren’t out of bounds for Hyderabadis. “While we ran at Auroville, we took the train to Chennai and a bus to Pondicherry. We chose a hostel-type accommodation at Auroville,” says Rajesh. With some research, Ajay says destinations like Ladakh, too, become pocket friendly.
As the goal gets rigorous, so does the training and financial planning. There are runners who spend Rs. 40,000 per month on custom-made diets and workout routines while others look for cheaper, yet effective methods. The Ironman challenge and other endurance challenges require good equipment and help from friends or sponsorship comes into play.
Take the case of Sunil Menon, an MNC employee who took the half Ironman challenge in Colombo in 2012 and has participated in several marathons. This summer, he will be participating in the Boston marathon. He avers, “Finance is divided into four parts — nutrition, registration charges for the event, travel and stay, and equipment (cycle, running shoes and their maintenance). A good cycle costs between Rs. 1 and 3 lakh. Nutrition is an on-going expense (he incurs Rs. 15,000 to 20,000 per month). Registration charges come to Rs. 15,000 to 40,000 depending on the event. Travel and stay will cost Rs. 2 lakh. So one has to plan ahead for international events.” Sunil has cut corners on family vacations and put off buying a new home for a later date. For the Boston marathon, Sunil has found support from his friends in the Hyderabad Runners group who are financing the travel. Sunil says he knocked several doors for sponsorship but they are hard to come by.
Sponsors for runs
Sponsorships require negotiating skills and the right contacts. “To an extent, it will depend on who you are,” says Ajay, pointing out how Milind Soman was backed by a television channel when he ran from Delhi to Mumbai over 31 days for an environment initiative. “You don’t need to be a celebrity. You could be popular on the social media and do something unique, like Arun Bhardwaj who ran from Kargil to Kanyakumari or Raj Vadgama’s target of running 10,000 km in four months,” adds Ajay.
Runners unanimously state that running per se is not expensive. “When you run for the joy of running or for fitness, nothing can stop you. But when we participate in marathons, we are looking for validation and relevance,” says Ajay.
Sunil adds, “It becomes expensive when you set higher goals or visit international destinations for running. Take it step by step — training plan, nutrition plan, annual health check and put aside some money each month as a runner’s reserve.” He cautions those who push themselves, “Health comes first; it’s important not to get carried away by others’ achievement and try to pursue them if your body is not capable of handling it.”
