dna iCan: Winner profiles

1. Manisha Salunkhe (25), Winner of 21-km-run

It was a girl from the central railway who trumped all with her performance at the half marathon this year. The 25-year-old stormed past the finish line after completing the half marathon of 21kms in a record time of 01::18::51s, a cool five minutes faster than girls who finished in second and third places. Born in Sangli, she works for central railway in Pune as a technician. She has been a professional athlete since 10 years and runs 5,000-mtr and 10,000-mtr track events. "People usually discourage girls from participating in sports because we have to travel to different places for events. Families too do not like to send their girls out too much. When a girl is into sports, the whole world opens up for her. I am so thankful to my mother who supported me for so long," said Manisha, who is going to give her entire prize money – Rs 1,00,000 to her mother. She has also won a trip to Thailand, and it will be her first vacation out of the country.

2. Nilam Rajput (25), First runner-up, 21-km-run

Neelam Rajput, who had won the marathon last year, came a close second on Sunday. She is quite content, despite being usurped from her position at the top by Salunkhe. "I had fallen ill some days before the marathon so I knew I may not be able to win it. However I was determined to be placed among the top three positions," said the 25-year-old.
Rajput missed her personal target for this race (01::21::00s) by a minute. She finished the race in 01::22::30s. "But I'm glad I came in second. I'm also good friends with Manisha and I'm happy for her win," she said. She is a resident of Uran and an employee of the western railways. She has been running marathons for more than a decade now. "My father was in the army and as a part of his training, he used to run long distances. He started training me from a very young age and I don't want to stop running marathons," said a smiling Rajput. She trains on a daily basis for the fifteen marathons that she runs each year. Daily, she runs 15 km in the morning and works out for another hour in the evening.
She plans to spend her prize money on her diet. "It is tiring to run so many marathons so I have to focus on my diet and make sure that I eat right and recover my energy to keep myself fit."

3. Supriya Patil (23), Second runner-up, 21-km-run

Running long distances is nothing new for 23-year-old Uran resident Supriya Patil. She finished third this year in the 21-km-run. Patil, who was running bare foot, finished her race in 01::22::33s, merely three seconds behind the first-runner-up Rajput. "I was anticipating a win, but Nilam took over in the last minute. My personal best is 01::20::00s, which I achieved in an earlier marathon," she said. Patil won silver and gold medals at state level events last year, and is now setting her eyes on securing a place to compete in national games. "I aspire to represent India in the international sports scene," she says. She stays in Kegaon village, where there is no running track or playground for her to practice. "We either run on the roads or on the beach. I run for an hour and a half in the morning daily and then do short distance sprinting training in the evening," she said. Patil says she aims to buy sports shoes from Nike, but they cost a steep Rs10,000. "The shoes should be light weight with a good grip. I practice with average shoes but take them off during the race as I have never been used to running marathons in shoes. I have run bare foot since I was a little child," said Patil.

4. Priyanka Singh Patel, (26) Winner, 10-km Spirit Run

Priyanka Singh Patel who won the 10-km Spirit Run, is a senior ticket checker in Central Railways. A professional athlete, she hails from Benares, Uttar Pradesh. She has been practicing for 2 hours twice a day for many years and won the spirit run of 10 kms in a record time of 39 minutes. She trains in Pune and specialises in 3,000 meters steeple chase. She had participated in this marathon for the first time. "It is not easy for girls in sports, but those who really want to achieve something, work hard. I listen to myself and have a very supportive family," said Patel, who will invest her prize money of Rs20,000 on shoes and diet. "I have to keep buying new shoes every two months as they wear off. I don't have that kind of money to keep buying expensive shoes regularly. There are also a few poor children who show a lot of promise back in Pune. I invest in their needs and will buy them their essentials," she said.