The tears caught me by surprise as I ran past a bunch of kids in NCC uniform, playing Saare Jahan Se Achcha . But it was that kind of a day when 13,500 people turned out to support the Coimbatore Cancer Foundation in its endeavour to spread awareness about cancer. There were men and women from the armed forces and the police; doctors, nurses and volunteers who worked in rural areas dispensing healthcare in remote areas; techies in large numbers representing their companies; students, young parents, teachers, senior citizens and wheelchair users, all of whom had turned up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the event.
A post-run selfie
In addition, there were more than 1,500 volunteers drawn from hospitals, the armed forces, police and corporation spread out along the route to help runners. It is difficult to imagine — more so these days — for such a huge number of people coming together in peace and harmony for a common cause and nary a talk about caste and community, religion and political affiliations. At least for those few hours of the Coimbatore Marathon, all differences were set aside. It really did feel like we were Saare Jahan Se Achcha !
The buzz started nearly a couple of months ago when the date was announced. For many, it was just another day to run. But, for others like me, it was time to break in new shoes, shop for track pants and t-shirts and, self-consciously, start running. Codissia grounds, G.V. Residency, Kovaipudur, Sai Baba Colony, Saravanampatti and Race Course reverberated with banter, advice, discussions and words of encouragement. Seasoned runners patiently accompanied the novices egging them on.
On the eve of every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, I received a WhatsAapp message from S. Balaji saying “Easy 4-5 K run tomorrow. Let’s meet at Perks School at 5.45 pm.” Balaji, a seasoned marathoner, patiently encouraged newbies like me to start running. In the process, we made new friends. I learnt about birds and bird calls from the soft-spoken Sounderrajan. Complete strangers now nodded or waved out to each other as they crossed each other running.
Running with a baby in tow
As we ran, Balaji told me about many lion-hearted runners from our own city. There were people in my neighbourhood who had run thousands of kilometres, across the country and indeed the world. Venkatesan was born in 1947, he shared, and was an enthusiastic runner. On the other end of the spectrum was 12-year-old Revanth who joined the training runs and finished the 5K run in 30 minutes. JP, who was volunteering this year, had just returned from a 1 454 km cycling expedition from Sardar Post on the Indo-Pak border to India Gate in Delhi. He will go down in history as one of the 25 cyclists from across India from the Rapid Action Force/CRPF to be a part of the team.
Mom and son among the runners
The Coimbatore Marathon was an opportunity to meet and run shoulder to shoulder with these extraordinary people. And, one got a ringside view of the stupendous effort that went into organising the event to ensure it was hassle-free and safe. Best of all was the realisation that if 13500 people can run together, they can also clean lakes, plant forests and segregate waste together. Keep running.
Food Proof
Breakfast at the marathon comprised
25,000 idlis
14,000 vadais
3,000 kg of pongal
550 litres of coffee
The Vodafone Coimbatore Marathon was organised by Coimbatore Cancer Foundation with Coimbatore Runners and Showspace Events
