A run full of surprises

A run full of surprises
The Bangalore marathon showcased the city and its denizens in good light

The Hindu

A FIRST FOR US: The participation in the marathon exceeded in terms of numbers and enthuiasm.

Human spirit. The Lipton Bangalore International Marathon showcased it in good measure. The sea of humanity that thronged the Sree Kanteerava Stadium at the break of dawn last Sunday to witness and then participate in the celebrity run that followed the main event — the 42.195 km full marathon and the 21.097 km half marathon — was an indicator of the sporting culture in this hi-tech city. It also put the city firmly on the world marathon map.

The inaugural event, organised by the Crossovers Consultancy in association with the Karnataka Athletic Association (KAA) and sponsored by Lipton along with Dell, Titan Royal Orchid and Yahoo, did have its glitches. "First-timers" and "inexperience in organising a sporting event of this nature" were the excuses that floated around as the media pointed out the hiccups. But nevertheless it will take nothing away from the fact that this is another milestone in the city's history.

If the main events — the full and half marathons — for men and women had their moments to cheer with Bangloreans Kennedy Chinna Ramu from the Army Sports Institute and Shanawaz of the Madras Engineering Group and Centre (MEG and Centre) winning the men's full and half marathons, the loudest applause broke out when Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh fired the gun to flag off the celebrity run.

Theatre personalities, actors and corporate bigwigs rubbed shoulders with sportsmen and women of yore to make it a really remarkable event.

"An event of this magnitude was long due in this city and now that its here I did not want to miss it," said Prakash Padukone, former All England Badminton Champion, who came along with 15 of his trainees to soak in the spirit, and of course, run.

"I have always wanted to participate in an international marathon and now that I have a chance I will not miss it," said former Asian silver medallist and now a senior athletic coach, Uday Prabha.

Syed Kirmani representing the cricketing fraternity, looked all set for the seven km run and voiced his acceptance: "I am always ready to participate for a cause... and all over the world marathons are run for a cause. And here I am." Shiny Wilson,

Ashwini Nachappa and Malathi Holla, paraplegic athlete who'a a Padmashri awardee, were all there.

I-Congo (Indian Confederation of NGOs) associated itself with the marathon in a big way. The confederation boasting of over 150 NGOs working for a common cause worked collectively for a purpose. NGOs like Samraksha, Dream A Dream, Association of Physically Disabled (APD), Beleku Trust and Parikrama all had representation in their own way and at the end of the day raised about Rs. 15 lakh to 20 lakh for causes ranging from educating children to community welfare.

The police deployed in good numbers to man the various posts on the route, did a decent job, though there were a few letdowns on the way with traffic zooming in even as the athletes wove their way through arterial roads. Residents, especially near the Hebbal flyover and the Outer Ring Road, turned up in large numbers to cheer and participate in their own way.

A policeman on duty at the stadium, asked how different it was to control this sporting atmosphere instead of a political rally, simply said: "Sir, these are educated people."