Running gives us agency, and allows us to celebrate ourselves. Each one who ran the half-marathon in New Delhi is a star.
For the last three days, I had the pleasure of hosting the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon in Delhi. It started with the fantastic “Beyond the Finish Line” on Friday, and ended with the Champions Dinner last night.
Over 36,000 people took to the streets of Delhi on Sunday morning to make it a fantastic event, and I have to say the energy was palpable.
Why is it that running is now a revolution in India? Why do we see it becoming a part of our culture? Is it just the increased consciousness over fitness, more so post-Covid? Or is there more to it than just being health conscious? And here, I am not talking about the elite athletes. They number no more than a hundred. I am speaking about the thousands who find joy in running and had come to Delhi to be a part of the event.
The truth is each one of us likes to be appreciated. To be celebrated. To be supported by the best, like the legendary Valarie Allman, who was in Delhi as event ambassador. And distance running is an event where we don’t just clap for the stars. Rather, the women and men who run are the stars themselves. People, including legends like Allman, are clapping for them and the energy is infectious. It is a release of sorts, and makes us feel good about ourselves. Each one who runs is the story, and not just a passive consumer of the spectacle. Running has given many agency, and they love it.
From what I have witnessed in Delhi at VDHM or the TMM in Mumbai or the TSK 25k in Kolkata, this isn’t something that can be contained anymore. It is well and truly a revolution, and India has started to embrace it.
It was my 20th marathon as host, and I loved every bit of it. Look forward to Kolkata in December. To everyone who participated, well done. To Valarie, a safe flight back, and you are one of a kind. Your statement, “I often find it harder to deal with success than with failure” will stay with me.
But the best was what you said about medals. “The bronze medal is what we call rose gold and the silver white gold,” you said. “And gold gold. Every medal is precious.”
I hope we Indians say the same of Neeraj Chopra, and everyone else who has made us proud.
Time to reflect and keep learning. To Anil and Vivek Singh and all at Procam International Private Limited, well done.