At home on a different turf

Sunday’s TCS World 10K Bangalore Run 2014 was a unique experience for the City for all parties involved – the runners, bystanders or ones who made it possible.

But among the running community, it was amazing to see how many foreigners showed up, including both expatriate and those visiting Bangalore.

Metrolife spoke to a few of them about what their experiences were like.

 There was Craig from the Netherlands/the USA, who won the love of fellow participants as he ran the ‘Open 10K’ pushing his two children in the pram with his wife running by his side.

“This is our fourth run as a couple and second one with the kids. It’s always been a good experience for us and it’s enjoyable to see how different people react to the whole family running together,” he shared as he quickly struck a pose for a photograph while running.

Like him, there were several other expats running in pairs, including Charlotte and Vincent from France.

“We’ve been doing these runs for the last few years and it’s a great way to stay fit and experience the City in a new way. We’ve trained well for this one and can’t wait to start the run,” they said before the flag-off. They added that it was nice to see the growing number of participants every year, with 2014’s figures going above 20,000.

Matthew from London said that he decided to come for the run when several of his colleagues told him that they were doing it.

“It was tempting to do the run when I first heard about it. During the run, it was really hot, which made the conditions tougher. But it’s crazy to see the number of people who showed up this early on a Sunday to run. I used to run back in the UK and there, running events would have maybe 200-250 participants. The enthusiasm levels are great here,” he said.

Michael, a visitor from Germany, said that it was on a par with running events back home.

“It’s amazing to see how much organisation it must have taken to make this event possible. I’m only visiting Bangalore but immediately decided to do the run when my friends told me about it,” he said.

There were some who looked more flushed than others and for whom it clearly wasn’t such a fantastic experience.

“I’ve run some of the previous editions and those were much better experiences. I feel good that I’ve completed the run but it was too hot and humid to actually enjoy it,” said Beth Chapman, an expatriate from the USA.