Bangaloreans put up a spirited run

Bangaloreans put up a spirited run
DH News Service, Bangalore:
The 5.4 km midnight marathon, a departure from the 7 km celebration run that was part of the two Bangalore international marathons earlier, attracted over 1,000 runners, many of them tackling the distance for the first time.

In the end they were all winners — those who ran, those who walked and those who stood back and applauded. The IT City Run, held as a prelude to the first Bangalore Midnight Marathon, wasn’t out of the ordinary in terms of numbers, but for sheer spirit, it didn’t fall short at all. A cross section of the society —young, old, professionals and a couple of celebrities — brought the IGate campus in Whitefield to life, setting the stage for the bigger races later in the night.
The 5.4 km race, a departure from the 7 km celebration run that was part of the two Bangalore international marathons earlier, attracted over 1,000 runners, many of them tackling the distance for the first time. The challenge, even of the shorter race, was too daunting for many, who soon took it as an extension of their evening walk. For some, it was an opportunity to parade their message and catching the eye was a Greenpeace team dressed as penguin, calling for efforts to stop climate change.
Though Crossover and Rotary Bangalore, the IT Corridor, had promised a clutch of high profile runners, many of them — billiards ace Pankaj Advani, swimmer Shikha Tandon and former international athlete Ashwini Nachappa among them — failed to turn up. Reeth Abraham, former international, and fashion guru Prasad Bidappa, however, made their presence felt, leading off the runners who were flagged off by Katta Subramanya Naidu, minister for medium and small scale industries.
“It was good fun. I thought 5.4 km run would be easy, but the heat made things difficult and it took much longer time than what I expected,” said Reeth.
Of course, the traffic did make things difficult for the runners at certain points. Even though the police were expected to block the flow of vehicles along the route, it did not happen, demanding extra caution from the runners. For those who made it to the finish line throbbing with the energy of dollu kunithe performers, folk dancers and stilt-walkers, the prize was a chance to shop at the flea market, have their fill at the food court and enjoy the music that stretched well into the night.
Enjoying all the fun was Ruben Michavila from Spain, former world champion and Olympic silver medallist in water polo in 1992. “It is great fun, the atmosphere and the races,” said Michavila, who is a brand ambassador for Cipsa and came here to support the event. “I turned up a bit late and could not run but it is nice to be part of it all,” he said adding that he was looking forward to the bigger races later in the night.