Ahmedabad runs to marathon glory

The unusual commotion at the Sabarmati Riverfront in the wee hours of Sunday prompted many temple-goers of Vallabh Sadan to crane their necks and look around.

The buzz was created by a large number of enthusiastic Amdavadis, who had gathered to participate in the Sabarmati Marathon.

Dressed in their sporting outfits, over 5,000 people, including foreigners, participated in various categories to make it a shining example of mass participation.

Promising to make it an annual affair, chief minister Narendra Modi flagged off the event sharp at 6:30 am. The joy to participate was visible on the faces of the young and old. A police band was trying its best to keep the temp up and a DJ was set up to lend a carnival-like atmosphere.

The most attended category was the dream run (7 km), created mainly to cherish the joy of participation. The runners were welcomed by the DJ to the beats of peppy Bollywood numbers who enjoyed the growing attention.

The blind girls from Andhakanya Prakashgruh in Memnagar and Blind People’s Association set a strong example by their participation.

The wheelchair participants, although less in number, were hugely cheered and left a lasting impression.

With the short distance races covered, all eyes were on the half marathon and full marathon runners. A large crowd waited in anticipation at the gates to get the glimpse of the winners. It was here when the smooth functioning began to face bumps.

The Indian Army troupe (106 INF Battalion TA para), dressed in shiny yellow, made a dash to the finish line from both the sides. While Anil Kumar looked to have won the race, he was puzzled to see some of his colleagues appearing from the other side. Lack in coordination and route guidance affected their overall performance.

“Our boys were given varied directions and it cost us but we are still happy as our timing was impressive,” Umesh Masli, group in-charge, told this newspaper.

The crowd erupted in huge cheer at the first site of Tesafye from Ethiopia, who waved his hands applauding the effort. Vipul Saharia ended the drought for India, by finishing the race first from among Indians.     

However, minor glitches marred the city's first marathon. It started with Ethiopian runners, the elite lot arriving late for the marathon. As a result, a female runner was forced to change her top in full public view. However, the professionals despite minimum warm-up set up a decent speed right from the start.

Again, the authorities were made to carry out the dual responsibility of organising and, at the same time, manage vehicular traffic. For close to one hour, the traffic did not disrupt the runners but as luck would have it, the oncoming traffic was released just as the runners were hurrying down the home stretch.

Confusion also prevailed over actual winners as some participants, unknowingly or otherwise, did not put the 'time chip' mandatory to record time and arrive at a winner. The waiting media and public huddled the runners with congratulatory messages even as they were gasping for breath.

The tired limbs were taken good care by the physiologists as many camps were set up to tend to the runners. Unlike the other marathon races, the prize distribution ceremony was not held immediately and was conducted at Kankaria in the evening.