Every participant got a medal for crossing the finish line
(From left, sitting) Tribhuvan Reddy, Jagan Mohan Reddy, Sunita Tummalapalli, Ramakrishna Puranam; (from left, standing) Jagdish Damania, Nirav Patel, Vandana Pramod, Anuradha Kalidindi and Sarvani Rao
The day started early for the runners who marked their attendance at the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon on Saturday and for the first-timers it was a special experience.
There were participants from the age group of four to 70, taking part in the 3k and 5k runs. Though there were no prizes, every participant got a medal for crossing the finish line.
Keeping up the tempo of the event was an all-teen band that kept the audience glued for over two hours. They call themselves the “Lazee Weekend” because “Weekdays we have school and weekends are the only time when we are free and can practise”.
Pacers
On Sunday, a number of pacers will be by your side to help you finish the half and full marathons. One could join a group based on how fast they would like to complete the run. Pacers are chosen based on their past records and the consistency they maintain while running.
Anuradha Kalidindi, who will be heading the six-hour group, says, “Most of the runners in our group would be first-timers. I just want to get them to the finish line and motivate them enough so they come back next year as well.” This is the first time that Anuradha will be a pacer. She adds, “My best is four-and-a-half-hours but I am heading the six-hour bus so I have enough time to encourage the ones in my group.”
Sunita Tummalapalli, another pacer, adds, “The idea is to be comfortable while you are running. Only then can you concentrate on your group.”
It is also the first time for Jagdish Damania, who will be heading the three-hour bus. He says, “My strategy is to start a little faster and then go slow as we proceed. I plan to complete 8 km in one hour, 7 km and 6 km in the next two hours.”
“It is one of the best ways of giving back to the running community,” says Jagdish, while Anuradha adds, “I remember the first time I was running a full marathon and the way the pacer cheered and motivated me to finish the last few kilometres.”
The pacers have created Facebook pages to interact with those who would like to tag along with them. They will also be showing up early so they have enough time to know the group members and plan a strategy.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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