Why I Run?

It is hard to believe that I have been running for almost 4 years now… It all started with Sindhu mentioning that we should try and run a marathon to raise funds for India Literacy Project (http://www.ilpnet.org/).

While I was all open to doing a 10K race, the regular training and weekend long runs for a marathon or even a half seemed too tedious. Running also seemed a loner’s sport to me- I like group games more. Anyway, I decided to give this a try. A search on the net took me to Runners For Life and I discovered this whole running community in Bangalore! As soon as we enrolled, we got to know of this great group that runs in GKVK – Sudarshan, Sabine, Sudhir, Patil, Sam, Megahana… Few runs with them and I realized that running can also be a group sport!!!

2007 October, I completed my first half marathon. I had registered for the HM, just one evening before the race day. I even remember paying the registration fees in the bus. While the timing was not great, my accomplishement was that I finished – my first long run without succumbing to the heat and the humidity of the KTM! The camaraderie, energy, the scenic trail and the great organization by Arvind(A2) and his team, got me saying – ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’ and has made me a runner for life.

Cycling came soon after running and I participated in the first Duathalon in Bangalore in 2009. 2010, was the year of running events- I walked 12+ hr walk in the Strides of Hope 2010 with Sindhu as my fellow walker; to show my solidarity to the cause of education espoused by ASHA, ran my personal best at SCMM-2010 Half Marathon and in the 10K Sunfeast 2010 and ended the year with a 75km at the Bangalore Ultra.

Yes, and I did convert this new found love for endurance events into fundraising for India Literacy Project ; an organization that supports education initiatives in rural, tribal and urban slum communities- raising over Rs 375,000 in the last four years.

At the 12M12M, I plan to run 6 Half Marathons and 6 Full Marathons, and use the ultra at the end of the year for fundraising.

This article was written on 1oth Jan 2011.