Hyderabad runners! On your marks, get set!

Marathon runners are eagerly waiting for the organisers to host events in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Though it has been a couple of months since the Covid cases started receding in Hyderabad, running and cycling events are yet to make a comeback in the city. Although several cities including Delhi, Dehradun and Chennai have already announced the marathons, city runners are eagerly waiting for the organisers to host sporting events in Hyderabad.

While several events are being organised virtually for avid runners, no marathon has been organised in the city since the pandemic struck the country. Keeping themselves fit, most runners have been running almost every day. Hari Pashikanti, an avid runner from the city said, “Right at the beginning in 2020, I stopped running. However, as the situation became better, several runners started their routine runs. We are connected via WhatsApp and sometimes, we meet on Sundays for a long run too.”

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While some other cities hosted running events, Hyderabad hasn’t had a chance yet due to the pandemic. “For a sportsperson, it is difficult to stay away from the sport for a long time. And that’s why many runners are eagerly waiting for the marathons to start again in the city. In fact, some of them have gone to other cities to participate in events as well,” says Hari.

Marathons or running events are not just about medals. Naveen Kumar, an avid runner, shares that such events also help promote a cause. “Since the lockdown, I have been running almost every day. And while I am not a huge fan of running events, I have to say that they definitely encourage more people to start running regularly. Also, being associated with the agricultural community, such events give me a platform to raise their issues and concerns and even reach out to people — not just the participants but also the onlookers — who might be willing to help. If they like the idea, they go back and search for NGOs to support them. Marathons are a good way to spread a message or promote a cause,” he shares.

Some of the organisers in the city are planning to host several events in the coming days. Swati Vasireddy, founder of Giggle Mug Events, and a member of Great Hyderabad Adventure Club (GHAC) recently organised a 10k event, starting at Botanical Garden. “We organised a 2k/5k/10k run — Run For Peace — to commemorate Gandhi Jayanti. About 1,000 people took part in the run. I see there is much enthusiasm in the runner since there hasn’t been any big event in the last two years. As the second wave subsided quite late, GHAC couldn’t plan the Hyderabad Triathlon as well. However, now things are looking better and many people are already fully vaccinated, I am hoping that events will restart once again,” adds Swati.

Airtel Hyderabad Marathon on Dec 19

The 10th edition of the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon will be held in the city on December 19. The event, which is returning after a year’s hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, will have 10k, half and full marathons. Being conducted by the Hyderabad Runners, the run saw over 25,000 participants in its previous year.

Unlike every year, this year’s event will be held under strict Covid protocols, and the organisers are expecting around 10,000 runners to take part in the event. The runners will be checked for their temperatures and need to provide a fully vaccinated certificate while registering for the runs. Ahead of the run, the participants have to produce either the vaccination certificate or an RT PCR negative certificate from the previous 72 hours, to participate in the run.

Considered one of the toughest runs of the country, the Hyderabad Marathon will have around 2,500 volunteers, 250 medical personnel and other security officials, including the city police for the smooth conduct of the run. A fun run of 5-km will be held on December 18.

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