Nearly 1,000 senior citizens proved on Sunday that age is simply a number as they ran the 4.2-km Senior Citizens’ Marathon, cheered on by family and friends.
“Running is my passion. To date, I consider my greatest achievement to be running 21 km in Jabalpur in merely two hours and two minutes,” 73-year-old Dashrat Rajat, who came down from Madhya Pradesh to participate in the Mumbai Marathon, said. The retired Indian Home Guard officer has been running to stay fit since the age of 50. He has won 29 medals in marathons across the country.
Andheri resident Daksha Kanavia (68) began running when she retired from her bank job. She then took it up seriously, going on to run multi-city and multi-State marathons. “I have completed the 160-km Mumbai-Pune run and 180-km Silvassa-Mumbai run, and many others. Running is so much a part of my life that if I don’t go for my daily run, I feel restless,” Ms. Kanavia, who runs 5-7km on weekdays and about 25 km on weekends, said.
Forty-eight senior citizens from New Panvel, including 87-year-old Yashwant Thakre, the eldest in the group, said the mantra to a healthy life is being active and taking part in outdoor games and relaxation activities.