Bengaluru Marathon a big draw, over 6.5k hit the streets

More than 6,500 people ran, walked and broke into a victory dance at this year’s first major marathon on Sunday. The 42-km category of Bengaluru Marathon was flagged off from Sree Kanteerava Stadium at 4 am looping around the Cubbon Park, followed by the half-marathon (21 km) and the non-competitive 5-km run.

The event was finally held after two postponements since October 2021, said Reeth Abraham, an Arjuna Award-winning athlete and organising member. A virtual run was held in the interim. Not everybody was eyeing a podium finish. Some were running because their running groups, colleagues and children were. Some did not want to spend their Sunday lazing. The visually impaired and the wheel-chair bound were running with their guides. Some just wanted to enjoy the semblance of a pre-Covid life.

For 30-year-old Bhagyashree Sawant, it was her first marathon since surgery on her right leg in 2015. She is hoping this will mark her comeback to runs, her first love that she had substituted with cycling as the latter is a low-impact activity. She completed 21 km in a little over 2 hours and 15 minutes. “I was running at a good pace till 10 km when I experienced a strain. I decided to slow down and respect my body and not push it. I was not competing in the Olympics. I was competing with myself,” said the New BEL Road resident, who works with a sports brand.

It was 53-year-old Jitendra Vaswani’s second time at the marathon. From running 10 km in 2010 to attempting 21 km this time, it was a big leap, one he finished in two-and-a-half hours. Talking of motivation, he said he is a two-time cancer survivor who was dedicating every single kilometre of the 21-km route to 21 people who helped him overcome tough times and grow professionally. “Running helps me reflect on things, good moments and my near and dear ones,” said Jitendra, who stays near HSR Layout and runs a group of companies.

Some felt the routes were not accurately marked out. “The last 500 metres felt way too long,” a half-marathon participant said.

Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya did a warm-up dance to the song ‘Halamithi Habibo’ from the Tamil film ‘Beast’. He shook a leg with the participants, distributed prizes and extended Ram Navami's wishes to all.

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