Calcutta, often kindly described as laidback, has discovered that getting up early on a weekend to run a road race can be just as rewarding as lazing around.
Two road races in different parts of town on Sunday morning saw 11,000 pairs of feet hitting the tarmac - many for the cause, some for the challenge, but mostly for fitness and fun.
The turnout in central Calcutta and Salt Lake - 9,000 for the SREI Kolkata Marathon, partnered by The Telegraph, and 2,000 for the TCS Fit4life Corporate Challenge, in association with t2 - also showed that the city's love of running is growing with every race.
"I run to eat more," quipped a young man. "It's like meditation," said a woman. "I am running to see how Calcutta looks early in the morning," smiled a homemaker.
The trio were participating in the SREI Kolkata Marathon that started at Red Road and branched into three routes: a full 42.195km marathon, a 15km test and a much shorter 5km challenge.
The morning's second run, the TCS Fit4life Corporate Challenge, had competitors from 56 companies and 12 colleges running from Salt Lake stadium over two distances.
Most of those who participated in the Kolkata Marathon said they regularly walked, ran, cycled or worked out in a gym, traits at variance with the legend of the much-ridiculed "lazy Calcuttan".
Rebecca Mathani, 48, skipped her morning routine of cycling around her residence in Alipore to run the 5km race. "I go out cycling each morning with Ayush, the 10-year-old grandson of my domestic help. We cycle for around 90 minutes. I didn't have any difficulty completing the 5K run," said the director-general of audit at the Ordinance Factory Board.
For Rebecca, the surprise of the Kolkata Marathon was the large turnout of women.
Gourang More, a 27-year-old executive with a manufacturing company in Salt Lake's Sector V, runs 10-12km every alternate day to "burn calories". On Sunday morning, he ran three kilometres extra to complete the 15km course. "I am a foodie. Running allows me to eat. As a bonus, it keeps me fit," he said.
Sunmbul Rahaman, a 41-year-old who took up running in her late 30s, said a road race was not just about fitness but also an opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of the city. "Calcutta is so beautiful in the mornings, especially in winter. I always run around the Victoria Memorial. I would never run on the treadmill," the Park Circus resident said.
Anu Ladsaria, 41, ran the 5km race along with husband Amit. She said running along the beautified stretch of the river were like "meditation".
Dheeraj Dhingra, a 39-year-old businessman loving in Ballygunge, was coaxed out of bed to join the race by wife Ritu, a 37-year-old mother of three. "I found it really exciting. I hope they have a cyclothon as well next time," he said.
Ritu, the more experienced runner among the two, said: "Last year, I ran a 3km road race and now I have completed 5km. I am happy that my husband ran with me this time."
Upasana Chakraborti, a Class XI student at Calcutta Public School, was part of a contingent of schoolgirls for whom running the road race was the best Sunday fun they had had in a long time. "There are about 50 to 60 of us from my school, mostly from Class IX and above," she said. "This is the first time I have run 5km. To do this alongside friends has been a fun experience."
Insurance advisor Nitesh Shah was surprised by son Avik's excitement about the race. Avik, a student of Class V at DPS, Ruby Park, dragged his father out of bed at the crack of dawn so that they could compete in the 5km race. "I am happy for the interest Avik has taken. I told him that part of the registration fees is for charity so that he learns to appreciate that there is a cause behind this," Nitesh said.
The organisers said that Rs 100 per registration would go to the two philanthropy partners for the event, Kolkata Gives and the SREI Foundation. The two organisations plan to distribute the proceeds among select NGOs.
Many runners making their road race debut said the highlight of their morning was the camaraderie with complete strangers. Groups of runners were seen bunched together and egging on one another while shouts of "C'mon!" and "Don't stop!" from the sidelines rent the morning air.
"I thought this would be a lonely race. But it was anything but that. It was a beautiful experience. I finished 5km in 40 minutes. I couldn't have done it without the encouragement from all around," said Rebecca.
MIND OVER MARATHON IN JOURNEY TO THE FINISH LINE
At dawn on Sunday, a throng of 9,000 runners set off on a journey as enticing as the destination. The 42.195km SREI Kolkata Marathon, partnered by The Telegraph, started from Red Road at 6am and took the participants through the ever-intriguing sights and sounds of a city slowly coming to life. Metro followed the runners as they traversed the length of the urban terrain, discovering themselves as well as Calcutta
Did you run any of the Sunday road races? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com
