T he Wipro Chennai Marathon (TWCM) is less than a month away and runners across the city are gearing up for race day. From putting in a couple of hours of practice and learning from past mistakes, they are going all out to prep for it. One of the biggest running events in the city, it sees a large number of participants from the city and across the country, who compete for the top spot every year.
Forty-two-year-old Ramesh Kumar’s running career dates back 22 years. The professional runner, who has run over 90 marathons across the country, is looking forward to TWCM. “This one is my marathon. I’ve been training for it and run at least 20-22 km every day. Thrice a week, I run a full marathon in preparation for next month. Weekends are for hill training,” says the runner, who had an unfortunate incident in the last edition of TWCM; it cost him his medal. “My guide went off route for almost 10 km, and that resulted in a massive delay. This year, however, I hope to be in the top three again.”
Chennai Runners also recently introduced the Star Runners programme, which encourages athletes from the lower middle class and offers them free training camps and workshops. Ram Viswanathan, one of the founders, says the programme is an attempt by the group to give back to the community. “We work in collaboration with SDAT (Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu) to identify deserving candidates from rural areas and give them a platform to develop their skill. We provide them with a kit (worth Rs. 15,000) that includes running gear and track pants, and also organise free stay and registration for marathons,” he says.
Last year, they had shortlisted 60 candidates, and this year, it is close to 100. Poongodi and Vasantha Mani, who came second and third in the half marathon in the last edition of TWCM, are part of the Star Runners programme, adds Ram.
Selvakumar G, another Star Runner, is making the most of his training period. “I took up running because I love it. When I first started out, I ran without help; eventually, I had a trainer help me improve my form. I’ve so far run around 10 marathons in cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai,” he says, adding that training usually varies from day to day. “Sometimes, I do a slow jog for about 20 km, on other days, it could be a run for 15 km, and if it is speed running, then it’s for about 8 km. I usually keep alternating between these, as I don’t want my body to get used to just one type of running.”
While Selvakumar holds a regular day job, he manages to balance his training by waking up early. “I usually go running for two hours at 4.30 a.m. before I get back to freshen up and head to work. On weekends, I give myself a break,” he says.
For 20-year-old Kalai Selvi, yet another Star Runner, while the day begins with a rush to college, the evenings are spent practising; she’s taking part in the half marathon. “Last year, I participated in the 10-km run. Now, I’m training for 21 km,” she says. “My training includes a 1,500-metre run on the road for two hours, four days a week,” says Kalai Selvi, a final-year BBA student from Trichy.
For 29-year-old Dr P. Sneka, a medical practitioner at SRM College, running is a way to beat the stress of her job. “I began running during my post-graduation. There would be long nights of studying involved, and running helped me feel good. I run within our campus as it is quite huge; usually around the lake,” she says. The fact that she used to do aerobics before she took up running helped boost her stamina, she says. “Now, I run marathons whenever I can. The first marathon I ran was at Puducherry in 2013, and I followed it up with the Auroville marathon. Last year, at TWCM, I was the second runner-up. I’m now training for next month’s event,” she says.
Soji Mathew, a professional runner from Kerala who has been a podium finisher in several marathons and won the half marathon (one hour 11 minutes) in last year’s TWCM, says he won’t be able to participate in the upcoming edition, because of health issues. But Soji, who works with The Railways, and who has been coaching young marathoners, has a word of advice for runners: “What athletes need to realise is body recovery time is very important. You need to eat right. Banana, milk, sausage, egg… and rest enough. That is more important that the practice sessions,” he says.
