One of the inspiring stories of the TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2020 is a five-month pregnant woman completing the race in just 62 minutes.
Meet Ankita Gaur, a mom-to-be, who completed her TCS World 10K run on Sunday.
Ankita, who has been running regularly for the past nine years, feels the activity is like breathing, something which comes naturally to her.
"This is something I have been doing for the past nine years, almost every day. You know, you wake up and go out for a run. Of course, there are times, when you are injured or unwell, you have to take a step back," said Ankita.
"Otherwise, I have been running regularly for nine years, so this is something, which is like breathing for me. It comes to me very naturally," said Gaur.
"Apparently, running is actually very safe. It's a good exercise to run during pregnancy. Also, if you look at the American Council of health, everything is recommended that if you are a runner, it's absolutely okay."
An engineer by profession, Ankita has been running TCS World 10K since 2013. She has also participated in over five-six international marathons such as Berlin (three times), Boston, and New York.
"I thoroughly enjoyed the app-enabled race too. It was very user friendly, once you started the app, it calculates the elapsed time and shows you that as a result. Like how it happens in a real race," she said.
On being asked how she prepared for this year's event, Ankita said, "I have been doing easy running regularly for like 5-8 km, very slowly.
I run and walk while taking breaks because obviously, now I am five months pregnant, so my body is very different compared to what it was.
"Earlier I have won medals in TCS 10K, but this time I couldn't as I had to take breaks and walk."
When asked about her Gynecologist's reaction to the decision of participating in TCS World 10K, she said," My doctor said it's absolutely healthy. In fact, she encouraged me to go ahead, and run. She advised me not to run fast.
"I don't have any complication, so I was given a green signal to go ahead and do my running. Even my physiotherapist, who has been with me for the past three years, encouraged me to do a slow run because it's really healthy for me, and the baby as well".
She said her mother was unsure about it initially.
Asked about her family's reaction, Ankita said, "Initially, my mother was a little unsure about it. I would say she has always encouraged me to continue with sports. So, when I told her that doctor had given the green signal, she was absolutely fine with it."
"And, my dad is super supportive, he is proud of me that I am still running, and he's been a sportsperson himself, so he encouraged me.
"Moreover, my husband has also been absolutely supportive and has been with me all the time. Even when we went to ask the doctor, he was with me. Hence, I would say, I am very lucky in that way."