Geared up for the run

Fun-filled Event

What better way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon than catch up with friends and have some delicious food? That’s what even the participants, organisers and sponsors of The Bangalore Duathlon wanted to do at a pasta party organised for them at Boca Grande, a day before the event. The Duathlon, was organised by Runners for Life in association with Ride a Cycle Foundation. In fact, all the participants had dropped their cycles at the BSA showroom opposite Boca Grande, in order to collect them from the showroom prior to the event.

The pasta party, which seemed like a warm-up for the main event, was a fun-filled affair where everyone present exchanged pleasantries, which of course included tips on fitness, cycles and running. “Runners love to cycle and cyclists love to run. So we wanted to introduce runners to cycles and vice versa,” said Arvind Bharathi, Manager of Runners for Life. The event, which had a total of 300 members registered, saw many people running for the first time. “Once you start running, you will get hooked on to it,” said Arvind.  He said that the participants could choose between 10k run + 20k cycling, and 5k run + 10k cycling. “A ‘Duathlon’ like this is happening for the first time in India,” he added.

Speaking about the pasta party, Arvind said, “Pasta parties are a tradition for endurance events like these. Since the body uses glycogen for running and cycling, which is stored in the form of carbohydrates in the body. And what better sources of carbohydrates than rice and pasta?” He added, “Of course, a pasta party like this gives a chance for everyone to catch up as well.”

Many participants were present at the lunch too. Manju Mysore, a member of both the running and cycling community was highly excited. “Being in Bangalore helps a lot for enthusiasts like me,” he said. “I am looking forward to having fun and meeting like-minded people.” Sudhir P, another avid biker and runner was all geared up for the event as well. “I am just addicted to it,” he said. “Being a member of Runners for Life, I have learnt the small but important things about running, like how to tie your laces so that they don’t obstruct your run.”