My Outing at the Maharashtra Police International Marathon 2019

Recent times have seen a spike in the number of people choosing an activity to keep themselves fit. As the standard of life increases and we become more aware of the things we need to live a better quality of life, fitness becomes a prime motivator – you can have access to all the luxuries in the world but if you do not have a fit body which also leads to a fit mind – they are meaningless. When you look back at our culture – India has always had physical fitness as an important aspect of their lifestyle – Swordsmanship, a close connect with animals ( equestrian) martial arts, traditional sports like malkham, kabaddi or even kushti or walking around the village and spreading knowledge, working in the farms, in the kitchen – if you sit back and observe, activity has been an important part of our everyday living. Off course, with time and ease of access to modernisation, machinisation and comfortable living – those activity levels have declined sharply. At the same time, ability to procure processed food complete with preservatives and long shelf life has improved – and how! This has resulted in a drop in the quality of living inspite of the increased standard of living that we claim from an economic stand-point. I know! this seems like rambling but bear with me – there is a reason for this musing. So a drop in the quality of life has led to an increased requirement and expenditure of the government in Medical and healthcare – it is also leading to reduced productivity in the current work-force we have – because you need a work-force that is healthy, alert & agile to be productive – Fitness is an important aspect towards the achievement of this goal. from my understanding – this is the driving force behind the Fit India Movement spearheaded by the government. And it is under this Campaign that directive was given to the Maharashtra Police to organise a running event in Mumbai which literally made Mumbai Move.

They announced this event while I was loitering in Darjeeling. When I got back to Mumbai, Vishal told me about the existence of this event. Now, I have had a fair amount of experience in organising sports events and I know what a mammoth effort it is to manage the traffic, block the roads and work with the police to provide the best experience to a participant. When I heard that this event would be organised by the Mumbai Police – I just HAD to be part of it. Simply because I knew the experience would be like no other – what the police can do for roads & traffic closure – no organiser can ever do! So, anyway with that thought process I decided to sign up for the event. DD had plans to visit me during the same time. He had also accompanied me for TMM. Also enjoyed the experience. So, I asked him if he would be up for an experience as a participant this time. He agreed and just like that both of us signed up for the event – I had just completed 2 marathons in 2 months – VVMM in December and TMM in January and wanted to do my first 50K Ultra distance at Lonavala later in feb so there was no way I was going to do the Full distance again – HM seemed to be a sweet distance to sign up for. This is also the first official 10Mile distance race in the country and this is a good distance before a ramp up to a HM so DD decided to sign up for that.

Post the TMM Full, I focussed on recovery. A race effort does take its toll and just like in a vehicle, you give it for a regular service to keep it running smooth, rest & recovery is important for the body to function efficiently. So for the week post TMM, there was much recovery which included eating good wholesome food and sleeping – A LOT!

When I headed to collect the bibs, I rode my commute bike to the venue. I have got to say this – in todays day and age of people being aware and speaking up about pollution, being environmentally friendly, being fit etc, it was disheartening to see that no one – not Jio Gardens, not Jio World Centre had a place for the bicycle to be parked. For there to be change, we need to make an environment that supports change and this includes small efforts like being respectful to commuters & providing parking spaces for people on bikes. Anyway, moving forward to the day before race day. Harshad, Shubhangi and me met up at Juhu beach for a particularly breezy balmy morning and did a whole bunch of stretches followed by a jaunty walk in the water.

The rest of the day was more relaxed. Turned in for the night around 8pm but with the nerves, jitters & excitement it was after half past eleven that I finally got some shut eye. 3:30am and the alarm goes off. I shuttle off to brew the first coffee of the day. Woke him up and by 4am we were snuggled up in an auto making our way to the Holding area. 4:30am and we were dropped off at the designated area. We jumped off the auto and joined in the sea of runners making their way to the start point. Really, it feels like those underground raves where people are making their way in the wee hours to the venue – and it never ceases to overwhelm me – this mass of masochists – who pay good money, ruin a good nights rest to congregate and then stress themselves out over the next few hours – one foot in front of the other – and THIS, when I have been doing it for years myself – as a runner, as an organiser – and there still is no logical explanation other than an adrenaline rush and a high like no other. As we made our way through the sea, I was busy chomping on a banana – this was my morning snack prior to the race. As usual, I needed my rest-room break prior to the start of the race.

Rest room facilities at the start point ( Bandra side) of the Bandra- Worli Sealink were poor. Just the one facility for the thousands of runners was not the best idea. Some of the underprivileged runners had slept at the venue the night before and were using it as the bathroom for changing, brushing etc while the rest of us were standing in a queue waiting for a chance to relieve ourselves. I really wish the police has foreseen this issue and installed some port-a-loos for the runners. Anyway, having done my business, I made my way to the holding area. DD came with me until the entrance to the Holding area, we wished each other luck and then I moved in to make my way to the start line. As I walked in, I met some known faces and we moved together to the start point. There were trusses installed with fireworks which truly added a sense of grandeur to the experience. I knew it was going to be a good run.

The elite start was at 5:00am and the Open start at 5:10am. Post the countdown, at sharp 5:10am a whole bunch of us crossed the start line. As is usually the case, a lot of people tend to start too fast and burn out. If you read my previous blog, you will know I am a regular suspect of doing the same. So this time, it was a conscious effort on my end to ensure that I stick to the pace that I know I can sustain through the entire distance. I have to say, the joy of running across the sea-link is unparalleled. The full moon shining upon the still water as we glide over an empty wide road with the tastefully constructed sea-link almost always makes my heart skip a beat. In fact, we drove back across the sealink just yesterday and it felt LONG..but when I run across it, I am so immersed in the moment & the activity that it feels a lot shorter than what it actually is. Anyway, I saw a lot of people shoot by me – some burnt out and some sustained the pace, over the next 21.1K some people got stronger with distance and even overtook me but it was pure joy – my race was mine. And THAT is the beauty of running these distances, it doesn’t matter what you timing is or what your rank is, but it is your experience and only yours – the thoughts, the emotions, the physical aspect, the comfort, the hell, the views – each person has a different one. There were over 15,000 different perspectives of the MPIM on 9th Feb 2020. Mine, was a positive one. After the first 4Km, I settled into a good groove and as is usually the case, there is a standard group of people of a similar pace that keep each other company through the distance – just like life – we each have our own journey and people join us for parts of it along the way – we share a few steps together and then carry on along our own path.

There were ample water stations along the way and the volunteers were excellent – cheering the runners on, clapping for us, handing over bottles with the caps removed which is perfect for when you grab it on the fly and want to take a few sips while in motion. The one thing I missed was the presence of electrolytes along the route. I was informed that there was ample electrolytes – I suppose the stations were not ready while I passed by them or maybe it was just my luck that I missed them.

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One of the most stellar recollections/sights for me during this run, was running parallel to the Haji Ali Dargah, viewing it in the light of the full moon and the reflection of the entire scene on the still waters of the ocean – THAT sight! priceless.

As is the case, I carried some gels with me during the run. I had one at the 7K mark and one at the 15K mark. The body needs energy to keep in motion – this energy can be released through glycogen and glycogen only. – when you are doing such intensive work, the digestive system shuts down so anything that you eat, cannot and will not be absorbed to release the energy; And This time, especially with the electrolytes not being replenished, my body really did need those energy gels to sustain the effort. I could also feel the creeping up of a cramp on my right quadricep and this in itself is a testament to the importance of replenishment of the salts we lose during a long period of sustained activity. The Peddar road climb is something Ive learned to embrace instead of fearing because remember – when you go up, when there is elevation, you have no other choice but to come down – so the focus I keep is on the joy of descent instead of the fear of the climb. Before I knew it, I had less than 2K to go – and that for me was signal for the final push – And I did, crossing the finish line in 1:38:11Hours – “Not too shabby” I thought, “Its a PB! – training is on-track! Welcome to Training Cycle 2.”

I wanted to be at the finish line for DD so I hung around at the finish line doing my stretches. Met so many people and had lovely conversations while waiting. Sometime later, he crossed the finish line to his first official running event. We walked out together, grabbed our finisher medals, our goodie bag – met friends, clicked pics and headed out of the exit gate. To our pleasant surprise, there were 15-20 counters serving hot breakfast of upma, sheera & Chutney – simple but yummy. We grabbed a bite and made our way to the Churchgate station to grab a local back home. Met Harshad & Shubhangi along the way, swapped stories as we rode home together – 10am and we stepped inside the house. We had already lived a life-time and the world was still asleep.

A lot of negative comments have been shared on social media about this event. And for fair reason – however, I am of the opinion that it was a well-organised event – it was also the first edition – part of improving a process is iteration – every time we try something, we learn – as we learn we understand the flaws & drawbacks and the next iteration is an improved version. An event of this magnitude can never be flawless or perfect – but that it was organised and got thousands of people up and about is commendable. Look at the price quotient & the value provided – a t-shirt, goodie bag, a packed breakfast, a hot breakfast, a hand towel & a finisher medal – most importantly the experience and then the follow-up. Its easy to point fingers and talk about what went wrong, but for each thing that went wrong, don’t forget to notice the 10 things that went right.

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