The fine Sprint

There is no gain without pain, but when the gains are as rewarding, the pain barely counts. Well, that’s what running does for you according to three Bengalureans. Kalpana Komal, founder and creative director — In The Brilliant White, Pavitra Chalam, founder-creative director Curly Street Media and Ashok Nath, trustee Indian Amateur Runners Trust got together to create a documentary on running. The unnamed film focuses on inspiring stories of runners from across the country and is also a crowd-funded project.

The concept took shape in creative the minds of Kalpana, a runner and Ashok, a five time Boston Marathon qualifier. “The reach of a film is far greater than any other medium,” explains Kalpana. Pavitra, a national level rollerskater and an athlete, attributes her success to running. In its initial stages of shooting, the film features a number of overwhelming stories of individuals that will push you to put those trainers on. There are tales from Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune and Chennai. “While one runner from Bengaluru is visually challenged, the other had a hip replacement 13 months ago and the docs told him he could never play any impact sports. However, he ran his first marathon days before he turned 40 last week,” reveals Kalpana adding that social media was crucial in tracking down people for the film. Another example is of a young father from Pune who took to running to deal with the death of his infant. “The documentary gives a peep into the lives of these people who have overcome all odds for and through running. It shows how it gave them the courage to fight their battles,” says Pavitra. Its not just the stories, but the film will also have running experts like Milind Soman, Reeth Abraham, Rahul Verghese and Vaishali Kasture, who will enumerate how running helped them.

So how does running improve one’s life? “Apart from the physical strength, running also enhances your mental strength and stamina. To run religiously, you have to organise, structure and systemise your life. Once you do that for running, the same begins to overflow into other aspects of life,” opines Ashok for whom running provided more satisfaction than his job did. However, athlete Reeth Abraham feels, “You cannot explain the phenomenal experience of running. It is something that one needs to feel for themselves,” Reeth concludes.