Milind Soman is running a little late; the organisers, noticing that the participants who are waiting to meet him are getting a trifle restive, offer to serve them some coffee. “No, thank you,” says one lady in the audience, rather emphatically. “We have come here to have ‘coffee with Milind’; we will wait for him.” Thankfully, the former model and actor, creator of the first all-women’s run in India, Pinkathon, strides in five minutes later — in all his six-foot something, dark, handsome glory (though I’m not sure about the recent salt and pepper moustache).
Coffee with Milind, an event held in association with The Hindu group of publications, which is the media partner for Pinkathon, saw readers of the newspaper convene at The Hindu office to meet Milind in an informal event, that saw plenty of laughter, sharing and conversation.
“Have all of you registered for the Pinkathon?” asks Milind. A few participants have, some are still a trifle sceptical.
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“I exercise and walk regularly,” says one participant, “But I still can’t run.”
Milind smiles, “I used to hate running too but I wanted to do a marathon — real men run marathons, I thought. So I began training for the Mumbai Half Marathon and was hooked. You need to start gradually and ease into it,” he confirms. “Your body will adapt in time. Anyone who is reasonably fit can easily do 10 km.”
Running, according to Milind, is a natural movement, one that all humans are conditioned to do. And to run his best, Milind chooses to run barefoot, a fact that is commented upon by another participant.
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“The debate goes on, but I found that when I ran barefoot, my form was much better. Having my feet in contact with the earth really helped me get into the movement. I re-learnt my running technique because of this,” he says.
Pinkathon, says Milind, was started in a move to create a healthier society, “Since most things are driven by women, that is where we should start. When the running revolution came to India, we noticed that more men participated in these events than women. Women felt uncomfortable running with a lot of men and also felt guilty taking time away to exercise. Pinkathon is all about creating a platform for these women.”
And to ensure maximum participation, Pinkathon, this year, has events specially organised for new mothers, visually-challenged women and girls who have difficulty hearing.
“I’ve never seen such enthusiasm before,” laughs Milind. “And this is what I want. I want to inspire people positively; I want everyone to run.”
Pinkathon will be held in the city on April 12. Registrations close on April 7. For details log on to www.pinkathon.in