Run to champion the right cause!

Running marathons isn't just for seasoned athletes anymore. It has become a fitness trend that everybody seems to be signing up and participating in.

Marathon running seems to be a growing trend as there are around five marathons taking place in the city, in the next few months! Some of them are the TCS 10K run that will be held on the 15th of May, The Nirbhaya run, on the April 30, the Startup marathon on May 1, the Decathlon Run on May 8 and the Pride Run on July 31 are among the few taking place in the city.

But to be able to run for such long distances, one has to undergo minimum training.  “People who want to take part in the 10K world marathon and compete for prize money, need to undergo rigorous training of at least 10 months as running so much is not a joke. But for people who want to have fun and haven't trained, we have organised the Majja Run, which is not serious and is only for a distance of six kms,” says Dilip Jayaram, organizational CEO of the TCS World 10K run.

Promoting fitness is one of the main reasons marathons are organised. “The main aim of the marathon is to promote health and fitness among corporates, who have strenuous work hours and have no time to exercise. And in the process we are also trying to encourage startup ventures in the city, so it's a win-win situation because people can run for a cause and to keep fit,” says Mr. Sabari Nair, organiser of the Startup marathon.

For some it’s a competition, for others it’s a cause. “Running is one of the favourite sports of people today and is also a great way to remain healthy. We are organising the Nirbhaya Run for the betterment of women. Through the run, we hope to bring out the idea of healthy, educated and confident women as the idealistic Indian woman. And we are trying to bring out the cause of female safety by holding the marathon at midnight. We already have more than 500 registrations and are glad that both men and women want to take a stand and run for the cause,” says Dr. Manish Harsh, founder of the AssistHELP foundation that is organising the run.

With so many participants in each marathon, one must wonder how simple it really is. All you have to do is go out and run, right? “I honestly think it’s more about the journey than the destination. The initial intention of marathons was to get people to feel healthy and good but attaching it to a cause, attracts more people. People who want to run need not be athletes but they need adequate training if they want to complete the marathon. But there are also fun runs now where the distance is not much and you can just run with your friends and family. It's all about feeling healthy and good,” says Anurag Kumar, who plans on taking part in the TCS run next month.