Running Events – Page 3 – Running and Beyond

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, or create backstories to fill out the mythology. But make no mistake, this is a religion alright. Across national boundaries, never have a group of people been so singularly driven by a single ideology

Environmentalists are everywhere… To begin with, in those places where they can be more visible and attract adequate attention. They find every human activity as a potential threat and at times, they even find the mere existence of humans threatening to the environment. Apparently some scientific study told them that Earth existed before human beings and hence, it should continue to exist even without them. With more people taking up running and participating in running events, it has started becoming an issue of concern for these saviours of Earth. Believe it or not, in the eyes of environmentalists, Running is becoming a major threat to environment and can potentially damage the Earth, giving it only a few days to survive!

Take the example of this scintillating piece of ‘research‘ with this sensational finding…

A new pair of synthetic running shoes typically generates 30lbs of carbon dioxide emissions, the researchers found. That’s an unusually high carbon footprint for a product that does not use electricity, or require sophisticated components. The researchers said it was equivalent to leaving a 100-watt bulb burning for an entire week.

Mind you, if you leave 100-watt bulb burning for an entire week, you will end up writing cr@p research work like above which is more harmful to the society than running!

The major area of moral hazard that environmentalists care for is that of running events. Running events are increasing and the participation in these events are always on rise. Apart from the increased emissions of carbon di oxide, there are two areas of concern for these ‘morally upright,’ ‘socially conscious’ folks.

1. Increased carbon emissions due to increased travel to and from start points of running events as well as morning runs – Yes, but for running events, most people would prefer to lock themselves in their homes on a Sunday morning and pray that the Earth should be protected by evil forces!

2. Increased levels of Garbage – This is a single most sensitive issue for many environmentalists. Even if a runner generates far less per-capita garbage compared to a Saturday night party goer (you might see some of the environmentalists there, as they need a breather from their busy schedule to save the world!), it still matters the most. Potential areas are in the water stations and breakfast areas. Forget the fact that many of them carry loads of water during their training run, they should not be entitled to drink water on a race day from a paper cup as it will end up generating garbage. Also, the post run breakfast must be discarded in favour of runners going back home and preparing their breakfast. I was once advised by a chain-smoking, air-miles chasing, beer-drinking environmentalist that water stations in running events must have re-usable cups that can be cleaned after each runner uses it. Keeping the difficulties (I have once been in such aid station and cleaned a few cups) and hygiene factors aside, such a suggestion coming from a person who employs a maid servant to wash their own tea cup, was ironical, to say the least!

There is no harm in being a environmentalist or preaching about it (if you have people willing to listen to them). I don’t intend to discredit the work of environmentalists in general or the runners who are sincere in their attempts to do their bit for the environment. There are some fine work done by both these groups which indeed serve as a model for rest of us to emulate. It is the so-called ‘environmentalists,’ having to eke out their living by mere preaching, that annoys me the most. One such ‘voluntary’ group managed to squeeze out a sizable amount in terms of TA/DA bills from a running event and another group pulled out after their pitch on ‘run to save the Earth’ on realising that they cannot make money from the event! So much for ‘caring’ about the Earth.

All said and done, someone who runs on the road day-in and day-out is definitely more connected with the environment and aware of the issues than those sitting in comfy air-conditioned rooms and typing pages on “How to Save the Earth for dummies”

Mumbai Marathon

During the run-up to the Mumbai Marathon this year, the Race Director, Hugh Jones said,

“This is where the running movement started in India. People in urban India have taken to street running,’’

Tall claims! Nevertheless, one has to agree with the fact that it is one of the well established running event in India. The Pune International Marathon can claim to be the oldest but has never seen the light of the day in terms of its popularity or number of runners. The Mumbai Marathon is also the only Marathon event in India that is recognised as a ‘Gold Label’ road race by the IAAF, (even if many, including me, do not understand what it means). It registers the highest number of finishers in the full marathon category in this country as one can see from the chart below.There are many aspects to the event that keeps attracting a large number of events – The crowd support, the route through Marine Drive and the sea-link bridge, qualifier for many international events like the Boston Marathon, Comrades marathon and even Olympics; And there is always the indomitable spirit of Mumbai that adds to the allure of the event. Yet, if there is one question that often lingers in my mind, it is, ‘Having recognised as a world class event, is this the best India can offer?’ Sadly, the answer is “No’ and here’s why,

First, the lack of attention towards the basics. The current edition is the twelfth edition of the event and it still lacks some of the essential requirements. Some of the issues highlighted from this year’s event by my friend, TR Kumar,

1. There was no clear identification of Finish Line No Celebration, No Cheering as one gets to the finish line. The finish line was a complete fizzle out
2. There were No Clear Water Points after the finish. One needs at least plenty of water stations to hydrate and one had to walk on for ever to find some water
3. It was not clear where Medals and Refreshments were provided. It was a complete mess after the finish
4. There was No Demarcation for Full Marathon Finish (for the Last Two Kms) as was mentioned by the organizers
5. Overcrowding of Half Marathon Participants all along after 35 Kms mark. One had to do zig zag to get past the casual strollers doing Fun Half Marathon
7. Very Long Queues after Finish Line
8. There was a Ramp with Steps to Walk up After Finish to get to the relaxing zone. Was this meant to be a joke to test the endurance of the runners?
9. Medical Tents were not available after the run to get a spray or get some medical attention.
10. No Breakfast Provided at the end of the run. For all the exorbitant money charged for the event, and also the huge sponsors, a simple breakfast was at least welcome.

Most of these issues were present when I ran for the first time in 2006 and also each of the 4 times until 2013. It is sad that the organisers continue to ignore these basics. With more and more runners gaining experience of running quality events abroad, the organisers do not step up their quality of service to match runners’ expectations.

Second, the ever rising entry costs. The entry fee for the marathon has been increasing exponentially, from the paltry Rs.200 in 2006 edition to Rs. 1400 in the current edition as the chart below would show.

It would be fair to point out that the cost of living in India during that time period was also on the rise, even if not in the same proportion as the cost of entry fee. There has also been increase in the sponsorship for the event which must have taken significant burden of the inflation. Moreover, in my personal experience, there are significant economies of scale in marathon events which leads to less marginal costs for every additional entry and also the benefit of experience in the subsequent events. The flip side to the higher entry fee, as my friend Dr. Ram said “it has become the rich man’s preserve.” It has become prohibitively expensive for vast majority in this country to even dream about the marathon.

Third, the lack of importance for the ‘Marathon.’ Most marathons in India are no more than a ‘Running festival’ with events of all distances, yet titled ‘Marathon.’ Marathon is strictly 42.195K; distance below and above that has its own lexicon and not to be confused with the Marathon. Sadly, there are very initiatives that encourage people to go ahead and try that distance. The most recent Singapore Marathon attracted over 10,900 finishers in the marathon category and the number of finishers in Mumbai did not cross 3000. The organisers seems to be content organising the ‘masala’ runs that fills their coffers and get due media attention through celebrity participation.

Finally, most events in India benchmarks themselves with Mumbai Marathon, which sadly ranks very poor in comparison with international standards. As Gautam Bhatia writes in his piece titled When the second rate sets the standards,

“The history of being second rate has been so deeply ground into the Indian psyche; it is now part of the real character of being Indian. There is an implicit mistrust of something that works, does not fall apart, is efficient and is visibly differentiated in its design and presentation.“

For all its hype, Mumbai Marathon, for me, is still a second rate event. Where it sets a standard, it only harms the development of running events in India.

Disclaimer: I have been involved in organising many running events. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent the views of my fellow organisers or the events. I undertake to write the blog only because of my present status as a ‘retired’ organiser and also that I have run Mumbai Marathon for 5 times.

Tirunelveli Halwa-Marathon

In the blog for upcoming Chennai Marathon, Ram Viswanathan wrote an interesting post entitled ‘Running Takes You Places.’ Reflecting on the article, I realised that there are many places that running has taken me – both in India as well as outside of it. However, in all these trips, running the marathon has been the primary activity leaving very little time to experience those places. For instance, I have never visited Gateway of India during my five visits to Mumbai for running the marathon. The first edition of South Tamil Nadu (Half) Marathon presented me with an opportunity to visit a place more than just participating in another half-marathon.

Travelling for the purpose for running a half-marathon has not excited me in the past. The two occasions when I have travelled before for a half-marathon were to Auroville in 2008 for the first edition of Auroville Marathon and to Konganapuram in 2011 to run the Mutthu Marathon (strangely ended up in their organising teams in subsequent years). Travelling to Tirunelveli wasn’t exactly in my mind until Srini tempted me with a text message that he has a hotel room booking and a place available for sharing. Also, in his mind was a casual visit to Tirunelveli with marathon as an excuse. With an entry fee of Rs.500 for half-marathon, it prompted me to undertake a trip to Tirunelveli, a place I have never visited before.

For the better or for worse, Tirunelveli has become synonymous with one food item – Halwa and the shop that makes the authentic one – Iruttu Kadai. Located close to the Nellaiappar Temple, the shop has an illustrious history featured well in The Hindu magazine, a year ago. The best of our intentions was to pay our obeisance to the Nellaiappar and Gandhimathi Amman first, before indulging in the Halwa. The sight of Iruttu Kadai (which, according to ‘an architect friend’ of mine wasn’t any different from a TASMAC shop) pulled us towards it. It wasn’t a pleasant crowd to deal with and ninety-nine out of hundred times, I would have preferred to forego the benefits over facing the challenge to negotiate with such a crowd. In hindsight, the chaos seemed to be completely unnecessary. An orderly crowd would have ensured that 99% of those who came to buy the halwa would have managed to do so; but, everyone seemed to be gripped in the fear of falling in the remaining 1%. I wasn’t left with much choice between my ever present desire to become civilised versus yielding to the Halwa.

Game on! Ready, steady, go… Barged into the crowd. Showed the men folk that I am the man amongst the men; The long hands came to be put for the best of its uses; my mathematical skills helped me to figure out how I can procure different packets of Halwa for three hundred rupees. In the blink of the eye, three hundred-rupee notes were flashed right in front of the person handing out the halwa. Yelled at the top of my voice ‘1 1kg, 1 half-kg and 3 Rs.10 packet’. I was attacked on all sides but my legs held strong and my willpower to get the Halwa even stronger. I was soon attended to and the victory was nearing…

The money was taken and in return came a plastic cover and three small packets in banana leaf. The mission was accomplished!

It was an achievement like none other and the purpose of visiting Tirunelveli has been fulfilled. To celebrate the achievement, we visited the nearby restaurant and enjoyed the Halwa with delicious cups of filter kaapi. It was one of those moments that sometimes makes us feel so grateful for the life we live. The Nellaiappar temple subsequently got its due attention and it was as impressive as the events leading to the temple.

With the halwa getting its due attention, the half-marathon event was unfortunately pushed to the back burner. The event deserves as much attention as the halwa or possibly even more. The organisers put up an excellent show starting from the pre-race communication to runners. All runners were communicated about their bib number (1041, which was also my number in 2009 Mumbai Marathon) and the collection process through e-mails and text messages. The bib distribution process was simple, efficient and smooth. A good number of volunteers happen to be from Chennai Runners with their hometown being in and around Tirunelveli. It seems to be a norm for everyone in Chennai Runners to don the mantle of organiser or volunteer at some point of time. With familiar faces around, it was like a friendly get-together and the ample space in the venue helped us to make most of it.

The race started promptly at 5:30 AM as scheduled. The route was fairly simple – out and back – with no confusions as to where to turn or not. Being an important feeder road, it wasn’t possible for the organisers to obtain a total road closure on the route. The route marshalls and policemen did a good job of regulating the traffic despite the initial hiccups. The aid stations were well stocked with cheerful volunteers staffing the stations. The best part of the event must be the sumptuous post-run breakfast – idlis, pongal, vadai and not to miss out, a serving of Halwa! I feel that every running event needs three basic ingredients – punctuality in start times, well-stocked aid stations (water, electrolytes to start with) and a freshly prepared post-run breakfast. The first edition of the South Tamil Nadu Marathon has essentially got all the three ingredients right and I am sure they would get better with years to come.
The promo tees of the event gave the perfect itinerary for all participants to follow.

So, after completing the first two tasks, I and Srini (who unfortunately could not run due to poor health) continued to accomplish the fourth task – ‘Chill at Coutrallam.’ After a tedious journey involving two buses, we reached Coutrallam and headed to the ‘main falls.’ It seemed to be relatively well maintained with strict orders on use of soaps and plastic sachets. However, the behaviour of the crowd was deplorable leaving the limited space under the falls for the ‘fattest’ of the lot. Almost every man out there seems to show the rest of the crowd about the supreme prowess of their masculinity. Given that the battle was for spaces, my slender frame was clearly not made for such a battle. We conceded our defeat and headed back to Tirunelveli and spent the rest of the day at the District Science Centre, which seemed to be an interesting discovery on the tour. The science centre is part of the National Council of Science Museums and has some interesting science experiments suitable for learning by all ages.

Although the event was an excuse for visiting Tirunelveli, the good work by the organisers and volunteers will ensure that the event will soon attract more people and will find its place along the lines of Halwa, Nellaiappar temple and Coutralam in the annals of Tirunelveli.

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 religion. They had two categories of the run – a 7 Km run for adults above 14 years and a 4 Km for children under 14 years. The route was fairly simple – started and finished at Vel. Chokkanatha Kalayana Mandapam at Vallalar Salai and the run was on the boulevard around the Pondy town.

The genesis of the run was in the participation of some of its members in the Seventh Auroville Marathon in February 2014. Many of them were running their first half marathon. They formed a group called ‘Marathon Runners’ and trained for the event. Following their experience of training for a marathon and the joy of running one, they wished to offer a similar experience for their entire community. The participants were largely from their community which helped the organisers to ease their concerns about organising a running event. They also invited students from Sathya Special School, Pondicherry.

The Organising team has toiled for more than a month to put together an event that would be memorable for the participants and encourage them to take up a more active life. They also had a good representation from the women members and children of their community. Many of them have undergone rigorous practice for over a month leading to the run. In total, over 500 runners participated in the event. Even if restricted from their community, the diversity in the age group of the participants made it a spectacle to watch.

The event concluded with a sumptuous breakfast for all participants and a felicitation ceremony for the winners as well all those who worked for the event. Kudos to the Marathon Runners for their efforts in adopting Running event as an occasion to get their community folks together. I am sure that this experience will encourage them to organise similar events involving the entire town of Pondicherry.