Join any representative neighbourhood running group and you are bound to hear the words, ‘World Major Marathons’ thrown about. At first though you dismiss it, you find yourself curious.And before you know it, you want to run one yourself and see what the fuss is about.
Marathons, and running in general, have taken off in a big way in recent times in India. The opportunities for a middle-aged has-been runner to participate in are plentiful. Running with a few thousand full marathoners, several of them women, at the Hyderabad or Mumbai marathons, has often left me breathless with a sense of joy. “I am with my people” I often tell myself as I plough down, my un-seeing eyes barely noting the myriad tourist attractions en-route. “Thank you, you are kind” I sometimes tell the children who hold out biscuits, bananas or, my personal favourite, Ravalgaon boiled sweets. Yes, I am satisfied. I love these events and have my fill of them every year.
But one of those early morning encounters persuaded me to expand the ambit of my adventures in running and convinced me that, insane as it may seem, travelling to Japan, United States or Germany or some such to run in a Kumbh Mela-type crowd of full marathoners and see if I could pull it off and enjoy. This time around, I stuck like glue to a 16-week training schedule, put together by my coach, specifically for the London Marathon. I had a few set-backs, but all in the game, so to speak. Lining up alongside a whole pile of tall British men and women, shivering in the unseasonable cold was a heady feeling! Compared to Chennai, where I sweat when I bend to tie my shoe lace, the experience of not breaking a sweat at all for miles at end, was something else!
We finished at Buckingham Palace – and though I was dead meat by that point of time – along with the utter joy of managing to see my husband and daughter at the 40th km, are memories I will cherish forever . The challenging, yet deeply satisfying training schedule, the camaraderie of long runs with friends, the umpteen discussions about what-to-wear, how-to-get-to- start-point, the crowd support, the fear of attempting the unknown, the joy at successfully conquering the beast, what is life without all these?
Was the cost worth it, in the final analysis? Is this really about health and fitness? Has it become an obsession? Yes, these are all valid questionsI guess I would say I am lucky to have had these experiences, and hope many more Indians get to the start line of these massive events – in London, Berlin, New York, Boston, Tokyo, or Chicago. The thrill is indescribable and the memories enrich your life, but most of all, the marathon is a great equaliser. It is amazing when race, creed, colour, and gender cease to matter, and smiles light up faces all around you as we all cross the finish line together.
While the champions of individual marathons and series winners are awarded lucrative prizes, the WMM have become a pilgrimage that recreational runners worldwide undertake. A significant number of runners take part in charity fund-raising activities at WMM, contributing massively to the chosen causes.
