It was my son who got me into registering for this, otherwise, I am not someone who goes for marathons or wishes to get up early (4:30AM) in the morning. Last year I did a cycling marathon for a good cause and today I ran (should I say walked) a 5Kms marathon today. The run was to educate underprivileged children in Tamil Nadu, organized by AID India. For kids, it was free by producing school ID card, for adults it was Rs.400 which I paid online yesterday. Since we reached the venue by 5:30AM we managed to get car parking slot comfortably.
At 6AM near Gandhi statue in Marina Beach, the marathon was flagged off by a Hon’ble High Court Justice. After few minutes of running I couldn’t keep up with my son and I silently switched to brisk walking. We went from Gandhi Statue to the end of service lane near Marina Swimming pool, a distance of 2.5Kms and returned completed the 5Kms marathon. The organizers had water booths for every 1Km mark!
I have never been to Marina Beach this early, watching the city (beach) coming to life slowly at the dawn of the day was a sight to behold. You could see people practicing Yoga, learning Karate, doing their fitness training, running, everyday walk and more. As I ran through the stretch I could see portable shops sprouting everywhere selling from organic soups (Herbal, Bitterguard, etc.), cut fruits, Fresh Juices (Avocado, Sweetlime, etc.) to omnipresent Tea/Coffee. Watching the mounted police (men & women) in their well-cared horses felt victorian and nice.
Completing the 5Kms marathon and collecting the certificate gave me a sense of accomplishment, making it all worth. After the run, to compensate for the calories burnt myself and son went to Hotel Saravana Bhavan Ashok Nagar for healthy breakfast of millet pongal and dosa followed by ginger coffee; Yummy.
