JOIN USThe ‘Great Elita Run’, recently held at Elita Promenade apartment complex, was an initiative to bring together the community to promote healthy and sustainable living.
There was excitement in the air as over 275 enthusiastic residents of the apartment complex came forward to participate in three categories, namely 10k, 5k and 3k. The event was open to all residents.
The cheering squads comprised enthusiastic family members of the participants. It was wonderful to see little children cheering their grandparents who were participating in their first-ever run. Several senior citizens, teenagers and young children took part in the event. According to Vidya Chandran, resident organiser, “Running gave me confidence and introduced me to interesting people who encouraged me to challenge myself. Today I have completed an Olympic level triathlon and have participated in several long-distance cycle rides. It was with my running friends that I thought of organising a run for our residential
community.”
It was a nostalgic morning for the organisers and volunteers, many of whom belong to the community running group ‘Bhag Elita Bhag’. They hope that their community members will take to running just as they have.
“We saw this as an opportunity to recognise and introduce to the community, trendsetters who have set new benchmarks in fitness and health. At the same time, we wanted to sensitise people about the challenges faced by differently-abled people. Thus, we had wheelchair-bound participants from Provision Asia for the 3k run,” said another resident organiser Manoj Nama. For the pre-run warmup, they had organised a zumba session by Shwetambari Shetty.
The event was flagged off by Elita’s ultra runner Raghavendra Rao, winner of the 100k (men’s senior category), Bangalore Ultra 2016. Community members as well as the event organisers were inspired by the spirited participation of the wheelchair-bound people from Provision Asia. “While hygiene remained a priority, the organisers were keen to showcase this event as a ‘zero waste’ one and we made all efforts to minimise waste generation,” said Meenakshi Ravi, another resident organiser. She explained that the organisers took a conscious decision to use reusable glasses at all the water points. The participants were also requested to carry water bottles.
Breakfast was served to the 275 participants and over 30 volunteers. Food vendor ‘Kai Ruchi’ supported the ‘zero waste’ initiative by bringing only reusable cutlery for breakfast and coffee. The event that saw over 300 active participants and several onlookers generated less than two kilos of waste.