6:45 am. Just 15 minutes to go for the start of something I had been waiting for almost a year now – The Wipro Chennai Marathon. As I had mentioned in one of my previous posts(read here), I had registered for a 10 km run, and my only goal was to complete the run without stopping/walking. The bonus would be a timing of under 1 Hour 20 minutes, which I had clocked a few times during the practice runs.
Bad beginning
Murphy’s law was at work for the 90 minutes prior to start of the event. First, my shoes and socks got completely wet on my way to the Railway Station. Second, my scooter skidded and as result, my leg sprained and my arm got a deep cut after hitting some sharp substance. And then, the special train which was supposed to arrive at 6 am, never came and we had to take the regular train. And finally, we reached the starting line at 6:45 am to see a huge line of about 7000 people getting ready to run.
The Run Begins
7:00am. The excitement was palpable, and the blaring music added to the anticipation.The huge crowd slowly started moving past the “Start” line. The runners had the option to run from wherever they wanted, based on their anticipated finishing time. Slower runners gave way to the faster runners thereby helping the fast runners avoid the need to jostle with the crowd, which would have reduced their speed. Since everyone had a timing chip(possibly RFID), the slow start did not matter.
I started running along with the crowd that anticipated to finish the race in about 1 Hr 20 minutes, and the crowd was heavy in this group. The first 3 kilometers were a struggle to run without hitting anyone. Some runners suddenly crossed my path causing some annoyance. I had my music player on and I tried to tune out everything else, without much success. By this time, I could see the half marathoners running past us in the opposite direction towards the finish line. These half marathoners had started about 1 hr 45 minutes earlier than us, while the full marathoners started 2 hours earlier.
Most of the 5th km was over the Adyar flyover, and the elevation was something I did not expect.
The view from the flyover was amazing but most of the runners were slowing down and many started to walk. Some runners fainted or gott hurt. Thankfully, the medical team was nearby. Just when I started feeling the desire to stop and walk, I saw a group of blade runners walk up the bridge with single minded dedication. I also see differently abled people in their wheelchairs pushing hard to complete the race. The inspiration continued throughout the run. ( More on that is here).
As I reach the Andhra Mahila Sabha where we take a U turn and head back, I looked at the watch and I felt disappointed – it said 45 minutes over. I felt let down because I used to complete 5 km in 40 minutes, and here I had taken 5 minutes more. Thankfully, I was wrong because the distance I covered in 45 minutes was actually 6 km, and not 5 km as I had initially thought.
After climbing the flyover again on the way back, I was ready for the final stretch of the race.
The Finish
During the last 3 km, I shifted gears and started to accelerate. I started playing some peppy songs and started counting the number of people I had overtaken. The legs started to ache, but the realization that there were only a few kilometers left was comforting. And then, I got the sight of Madhya Kailas temple, from where the finish line was less than 1 km. I started to sprint and a few minutes later, I saw the finish line and there was wild cheering from the spectators on both side of the road. I saw the time at the finish line – 1Hr 18 minutes and I ran fast enough to ensure that the I go past the finish line before 1 Hr 19 minutes. I immediately got garlanded with the medal and was given the directions to the breakfast counter.
While I was happy that I completed the race below 1 Hour 20 minutes, I also knew that that 1 Hr 18 minutes did not tally with my ipod timer which showed 1 Hr 16 odd minutes. When I met one of my fellow runners, he gave a pleasant news that he got an sms about his timing. Since I did not carry my mobile phone, I had to wait till I met my wife in the ground to get my mobile phone. I eagerly took it from her and looked at the timing – It said “ 1 Hour 16 Minutes 15 Seconds”. That was a good timing, considering this was my first marathon.
While it was tough when running, the 10k seemed easy after it was complete. But this is only the beginning. What next? A Full Marathon in December 2014? You bet!!
PS: Oh, I forgot..The wet shoes did not make any difference, nor did the gash in the elbow.