Being able to run a marathon is the ultimate fitness challenge for most people. Now, with the marathon season just around the corner, it is not uncommon to find an enthusiastic runner practising and testing his endurance levels on somewhat empty stretches of the road. As preparation for the multitude of marathons and 10k runs that will soon be held in the city, city folk who have joined groups meet up for regular training sessions each week, while fitness conscious individuals focus on their cardio and strength training sessions at the friendly neighbourhood gym .
Members of the Hyderabad Runners group for instance, meet up thrice a week for different kinds of practice sessions. “On Tuesdays we do interval running where we run a certain distance at a high speed, take a small break and repeat. Fridays are for Tempo runs where we run 10 kilometres; the first two at a slow pace, the next 6 like we’d run a race and slow down again for the last 2 kms. Sundays are for long runs,” says Samuel Sudhakar, member of the Hyderabad Marathon organising team and a runner himself. The group also does hill runs once a week at places like Whisper Valley and Mahindra Hills.
Individual participants like Aashita Maheshwari, a marketing manager, choose to rely on their neighbourhood gyms to stay fit ahead of a marathon. “I don’t specifically train for the marathon, but do ensure that I exercise regularly. So a month or so before the marathon I step up my cardio and strength training regime at the gym. Once a week I do a full hour of cardio either on the treadmill or the cycle,” she says.
While most participants gear up in their own way for the physical challenge that they’ve set themselves against, it is the lack of running spaces in the city that they really have to work around. Other than the KBR Park in Banjara Hills, Botanical Gardens in Gachibowli and the Balayogi stadium in Gachibowli, there are few other places that fitness enthusiasts can easily access. “There is no eco-system at all to support runners or fitness enthusiasts in the city. When we organise runs we pick and choose areas that have less traffic. Issues like safety, ease of access for all the members and places where we can have health and snack stations matter. It is not possible to run in the city given the traffic conditions; so places like Gachibowli, Gandipet or Rashtrapati Nilayam and Cantonment areas are where we organise our weekly runs,” explains Rajesh Vetcha, founder Hyderabad Runners group.
Rajesh, who has been running for the last 12 years, says that another problem they face is having to take police permission each time a large group assembles to run. “There are multiple factors that pose problems when we want to run in the city. There is a need to create public space. While running tracks are a long haul in the city, we could at least have better parks,” he adds.
“We pick and choose areas that have relatively less traffic and chart the routes according to the distance we are going to be running. Since there are few places we can run in the city, we ensure that we have an early start; around 4.30a.m.when the traffic is minimum,” Samuel adds.
Others like Aashita drive from Secunderabad to KBR Park once a week to run the 7-kilometre outer circumference. “There are hardly any other places one can go to for a run or jog,” she says.
