Katherine Switzer, the first women finisher of Boston Marathon, once said, “If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.” These are strange times when we are not only losing faith in human nature but also, marathons. Among the major events, it started with the cancellation of mass start in …
Category: General
Run the Marathon of your Life
Emil Zatopek is often credited to have said, "If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.” Andrew Johnston, a business faculty member, explains in a popular TEDx talk on how he taught his students the fundamentals of Business by making them train and run …
Training for Coimbatore Marathon
Mornings in August aren’t the same in Coimbatore. The pleasant weather, with an air of chillness emanating from the western ghats recently washed by the south west monsoon rains, is something to cherish and relish. While for some, it implies another hour of extra rest; for others, it is an opportunity to go for a …
Let’s Resolve to Run!
A new year brings in new beginnings, at least a new calendar to start with; unless you have preserved the 2007 calendar and choose to re-use it! Every New Year also opens a new set of resolutions which mostly gets buried even before the end of January. Many end up resolving not to take New …
Venu Sir – A Tribute
It all started with a casual conversation during May 2009. VPS and Shahid had then started a "Chapter" of Chennai Runners; morning runs were started at MCC, Chetpet during weekdays, in addition to the 'home ground' at Alwarpet. A new runner had started running with them. A regular walker until the age of 64, he …
In the Long Run, we are re-born
How long is a long run? The International Amateur Athletic Federation classifies distance above 5000m as long distance running events. The recognised events in Olympics and other events are the 5000m, 10,000m and the Marathon (42.195 Km) but the most popular, in terms of public participation, is the Half-Marathon (21.1 Km). Events above the marathon …

10 Years on…
Being nostalgic is often seen as a virtue of getting old and best avoided. Despite depressing on most occasions, largely for the those at the receiving end, and occasionally elating, it does help one to get a perspective. As George Santayana would say, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" Turning …
Running and Environmentalism
After Religion, if there exists a social group that breeds more hypocrites, it must be Environmentalism. Although, my friend Rajesh does not see much difference between the two as he considers environmentalism as just another new age Religion. We still do not know where the green brigade stand on iconoclasm, whether they will fight crusades, …
The Ahimsa Run
Ahimsa Paramo Dharma (अहिंसा परमॊ धर्मः) On March 30, 2014, the Jains and Marwaris of Pondicherry organised a 7Km run to promote running amongst their community members.The theme of the run was centred around the basic tenets of Jainism. The run was aptly named as the Ahimsa Run, the key principle of those following the …
The Servarayan Hills Ultra
In the middle of the night, Aravind wakes up and yells, 'Praveen.... It's 3:30 and no one has got up.' Checked my phone and the time read 11:59. Praveen jumps out of his bed to confirm the same. Aravind quickly realises that it is the second time of the dual time on his phone screen. …