Gone are the days when a marathon used to be a limited affair run by fitness and health conscious people. A few like minded people running a 'marathon' early morning in small numbers is a thing of the past. It has been replaced by large, well-organised races with thousands of runners, including professionals, participating.
Today, marathons and walkathons have become specialised, though thousands of people also join in to run for either their health or just for fun - or the cash that's paid out at some marathons.
This winter, many such runs have been held in Gujarat and elsewhere in which people in large numbers have participated. Be it the Sabarmati Marathon held in the city in December 2011, or the Vadodara International Half marathon held in February 2012, citizens are witnessing marathons and walkathons in large numbers.
Even corporate houses have entered the fray and so Motif Charity Walk 2012 and ICECD Walkathon 2012, have gained a lot of attention in recent few years and are a huge success.
When Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said that events like marathons help to improve the city's image, he was not wrong as an ever-increasing number of business houses are organising marathons or walkathons for a good cause involving citizens in large numbers.
The Vadodara Half marathon was organised this year to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad and in the past few years for traffic awareness and Green Vadodara. "Also, this year we wanted to create awareness about the traffic park at Kamatibaug. Unlike other marathons, ours is a purely volunteer based run and the whole idea is to promote sports and athletics in the city," stated Tejal Amin, the director of Vadodara Marathon.
Motif Inc organized its 10th annual charity walk to create health awareness.
Speaking to DNA, COO and co-founder of Motif, Parul Mehta said, "The reason why we held our charity walk has always been to create health awareness. We want people of different backgrounds to walk and run with us."
Parul added: "Look at our city — it's hot and happening now! With so many marathon events held, the citizens have understood the importance of these runs/walks. Ten years back, when we started, people were skeptical about registering for a marathon and running for a good cause in the early morning. But awareness has since changed and people are now eager to join such events."
Similarly, ICECD organised a walkathon and dedicated the event to illiterate rural women entrepreneurs who have contributed to the economy of the country.
One such club which organises runs and participates in various marathons is Ahmedabad Distance runners, where like minded fitness conscious members organise various runs and also participate in many marathons. President of ADR and an eminent runner, Lihas Trivedi said that they organise runs on a regular basis. "We are having an Abu run of 21 km on February 19. We want to have an adventurous run for our members and so we selected the adventurous and hilly location of Mt Abu," added Trivedi. With so many people running long distances for health, wealth and fun, we may soon have healthy citizens all around!
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