Hyderabad-based mountaineer Neelima Pudota completed her maiden 350-km barefoot run from Vijayawada to Visakhapatnam and arrived in the city on Friday evening.
The 30-year-old former corporate employee reached Visakhapatnam to participate in the Pinkathon that will be held on November 20.
The main objective behind the run was to draw attention to women's fitness issues, which is often a neglected area, and to allow women to have liberty of experience, Neelima told The Hindu .
Neelima, popularly known as Neil The Mountaineer, almost made it to the world's highest peak, Mt. Everest, earlier this year falling short of just 200 metres from the summit point due to her guide's serious health issue.
Speaking about her experience on barefoot running, Neelima said: “The terrain was good, however, it was the hot and humid weather which made the run challenging. When I started before sunrise or ran after sunset to avoid the harsh sun rays, I had to encounter snakes along the route. Snakes are a major issue in this region as the places are surrounded by agricultural fields.”
Before embarking on her maiden long distance run, the young adventurer practised for five months and transitioned to barefoot running.
“Now I am over the phase of blisters and corns and find barefoot running quite comfortable,” she added.
Pinkathon
The Vizag edition of Pinkathon is being held in categories of 3 km, 5 km, 10 km and 21 km and will begin from the Children’s Park opposite Novotel Hotel from 5 a.m. on Nov. 20.
Interested can register online at www.indiagoingpink.com or visit Tanishq at VIP Road for offline registrations open till Saturday.
