We all pride ourselves to be a fit, young Bengaluru. And who doesn’t love a good run? Top that with some music, throw in some friends and a zumba warm-up and you have The Music Run. In India for the first time, the 5K music and fitness event, hosted at Clarks Exotica Resort and Spa and promoted by Baseline Ventures, last Sunday saw Bengaluru take fitness to another level with music. Running never sounded so good.
Running on a five-kilometre ‘sound track’ lined with over 120 speakers pumping out songs that participants voted for on a music voting app across five interactive and themed music zones: rock, pop, old school, hip hop and dance, the event was the loudest and grooviest marathon in the city.
Kicking off with a pre-party gig by All The Fat Children and moving on to a fun-filled zumba warm-up, the crowd of almost 5,000 fitness enthusiasts soon swelled the starting line. When the sound wave was blown, they launched into the sonic marathon, dancing and having a ball of a time, grooving to tracks by AC/DC, Michael Jackson, Eminem, Pharrell Williams and The Chainsmokers among a whole lot more, finally culminating in a gala after-party music festival.
Engineering student Abhiraj Pahargarh says the experience was fantastic. “The whole idea of integrating music with running was totally cool. When I was practising, I used to be exhausted. But at the event, being surrounded by music, it makes you forget everything else. Music is a real game changer.”
He adds that it was more than just a run. “We had people grooving to the tracks and just having a blast on the run. The whole set-up with speakers on the sidelines had us waiting for the track we had voted for to come on and the beat to drop so we could dance away. It was more like a dance run. The Music Run has set a standard now. It was all over social media and it even helped me make some new friends.”
IT professional Menaka Gia echoes the same thoughts. “Making its first impression, The Music Run was a massive hit. It’s also great that they chose Bengaluru. We’re the perfect city to execute this spectacular coming together of music, fitness and fun. This was my first marathon after a gap of six years. Even people who do not run will be inspired after witnessing what happened at The Music Run. While the 5K itself was fun, the zumba warm-up session was the best.”
Eben Johnson from Bengaluru rock band All The Fat Children, which kicked off the event with the pre-party gig, says it was a very interesting concept. “This was very different from our usual gigs. It was more like a fitness party. The concept was a lot of fun too. From here, they can conceptualise better. A lot more people should experience this next time. The main focus of fitness combined with fun and music is something that will garner a lot of impetus for music fans and fitness freaks alike. I hope the next time there is a build-up of events to this final run. If a community is built around this, it will help people connect and also encourage more live music.” He sums up with a quip: “I did, however, find it ironic that a band called All The Fat Children was playing for a marathon.”
