Why this group is walking all night

When a team of Hyderabad doctors won the second edition of Oxfam India Trailwalker’s ‘veteran race’, they promised to be back to not only defend the title but also to set a new record for themselves, by finishing a 100-km walk in 24 hours.

With the next event scheduled this Friday, in Bengaluru, the Hyderabad-based walking group, Early Birds, are brimming with confidence and are raring to go, training rigorously with walks of 25 kilometres every Sunday, and even all-night walks, covering distances of 75 km to 100 km!

“We walk to different destinations across the city. Sometimes at KBR Park, sometimes at Alwal and then yes, there’s that walk to Charminar, for some chai, and back,” says Dr Suma Prasad, an IVF specialist and owner of the Prasad Hospital at Nacharam.

“The wake-up call comes from our team leader Dr M. Nagaraj at 4 am sharp every Sunday. Even our families don’t understand why and how, we manage to wake up that early on a Sunday,” she reveals.

But with the stressful life that these doctors lead, with an “emergency” just a phone call away, they say that this, weekend escape is exactly what they need.

“We do this as early as 4am because that is the time we get fewer calls,” says Dr Suma.

The group came together much before Trailwalkers (a walking race of 100 kms that needs to be finished in 48 hours). “We started about six years ago,” says Dr M. Nagaraj, a critical care expert at the Apollo Hospitals. “The idea was to not only exercise but to also get away from stress.” His walking teammate Srinivas Reddy, a perfusionist at KIMS, adds: “It was around three years ago that we started calling ourselves ‘Early Birds’ because we needed a name to be part of Trailwalkers.”

Also, the Oxfam India walk was perfect for the doctors as it involved charity.  “We realised over time that we were all philanthropists as well,” says Dr Suma. “We were all involved in our own activities of giving back and so the walk for charity fit in.”

Over time, the others joined in. And among those who benefited from walking with the doctors are Chinnaswamy and Mr G. Sekhar. Although both work in the fitness industry, it was only when they started walking with the doctors that pressing health issues stopped.

“I had a problem with my shin and I had completely given up hope of walking normally again, let alone long distances,” shares Chinnaswamy. But after a hundred kilometres, I am able to even finish marathons,” says Chinnaswamy.

Meanwhile, G. Sekhar has got his diabetes in check, thanks to the early Sunday mornings.

The group is now aiming at getting many more on board their walkathons, which they describe as “free antidepressants”. But there is a “health screening” too with diets being prescribed for new entrants. So yes, the group is hoping their numbers grow from the current 12 and that they find others who’re ready to destroy a Sunday.