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Looking Back – Mumbai Marathon 2009
Soon after running, rather walking, the Mumbai Marathon in 2006, I wanted to get back to the city again and banish the ghosts of not finishing the run in specified time. Given the registration fee was not exorbitant as it is today, I registered for the event again in 2007 and 2008, only not to…
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The Sittilingi Run
In October 2008, I moved to Bangalore to take up a new job. Around the same time, I was training for the Singapore Marathon to be held in December 2008. Shumit Vatsal, a Chennai Runner then living Bangalore, introduced me to Anita, Sanjeev, and Santhosh, who were part of the Bangalore Chapter of Asha for…
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Bringing Diversity in Running
On February 23, 2020, 25-year old Ahmaud Arbery went for a run in the Satilla Shores, an upper class locality in Glynn County, Georgia, United States of America. In the process, he entered an under-construction site and spent some time inspecting it without causing any damage. Alarmed by the presence of a stranger in that…
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Sportswashing Running Events
The Indian Premier League or IPL, unleashed a new era of crass commercialisation of sports in India. As the late Mike Marquesse wrote in 2010, …the IPL faithfully mirrors the dark side of the neoliberal dream and the true cost of unleashing the private sector. – Mike Marqusee Among the various things that were commercialised,…
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A Scorecard for the year
Recently, users of Strava, a popular app among fitness enthusiasts, would have received a barrage of statistics in the form of ‘Year in Sport’. The aggregate data comprising no. of activities, time spent, kilometres covered, ‘kudos’ received, etc., is presented as a comprehensive summary of the year bygone. While the objective may be noble, the…
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Rethinking Running Events – Part 3 – Virtual Events
One alternative to running events that has become popular in recent times has been the Virtual Events, where participants run on their own and connect with each other through a platform – an app or a website. Though there are no clear definition of what can be called as virtual event, I would keep the…
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Rethinking Running Events – Part 2
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…
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Rethinking Running Events
Disclaimer: The views below does not reflect those of the events or their organisers that I have been associated with or likely to be involved in future. The views conveyed below are in no way sacrosanct and is amenable for suggestions from others. Among the various disruptions due to COVID-19, includes Running events which carry …
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Humans of Marathon – Latha Srinivasan
Sometime after the age of fifty, there comes a moment called as retirement which brings curtains down on most lives. On many occasions, not doing anything is most sought out. There are a few who go on to defy the convention and lead the way for the rest. By the age of fifty-eight, Latha Srinivasan…
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Being the Berlin Legend
A marathon in a city like Berlin cannot be anything but “legendary” – Yes, that’s the theme of the event and the organisers did some brilliant promotions to reinforce. Check this promotional video, The event holds a special place among runners for being the ‘fastest course.’ Suresh Seshadri, a participant in this year’s edition, wrote an…
Running and Beyond 