There were athletes, celebrities and fitness enthusiasts running the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon
on Sunday but it was the 200 differently-abled participants who stole
the show, demonstrating to all that no challenge was too big to defeat
the human spirit. Twenty-year-old Himanshu Kumar has one leg and uses an artificial limb but that did not stop him from completing the four-kilometre race.
Himanshu's story can inspire many. He wanted to become an athlete and run for India in Olympics but this dream was cut short in 2008 by a road accident which left him with one of his legs amputated. But Himanshu bounced back in 2009 and started participating in races. He now aims to represent the country in Paralympics 2016.
Rajender Dua (40) has been paralyzed and wheelchair-borne for more than a decade but came to take part in the half marathon for the sixth time in a row. Equally commendable were the efforts of 65-year-old Vineet Mittal who underwent a bypass surgery and hip replacement but ran like a teenager.
Spine surgeon Dr Shankar Acharya from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital ran with his 30 patients to create awareness about increasing spinal problems due to wrong posture and lack of physical activity.
At least 84 senior citizens participated in the main event and hundreds took part in the Great Delhi Run. Elderly participants were greeted by the bystanders and even on-duty cops with claps. Eighty-two-year-old Chaman Singh Sandhu said, "I started alone but have inspired nearly 90 senior citizens from my area to join," he said.
When the younger runners passed them, they never frowned. They cheered them instead and continued at a slow and steady pace. "We are here to enjoy the spirit of the event. Throughout the year I wait for it," said SK Kaur, a 70-year-old retired teacher, said.
******************************************************
Even before the sun came out, Delhi was up and on its feet-all charged up to participate in the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. Few ran just to keep their tryst with the spirit of sport, some ran for fitness but most ran for a cause. Issues raised by the runners varied from women's safety, inflation and human trafficking to corruption and conserving the environment.
Participants started pouring in at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, the starting point for the marathon, from as early as 6am, with their running shoes on-some in wheelchairs, others in myriad outfits, often holding a placard with a message on it. Complementing the buzz of their energy was a running commentary from radio jockeys and invigorating music in the background to keep spirits from flagging.
The half marathon, covering a distance of about 21km, started at 7.20am and ended by 9.30am. It covered Lodhi Road, India Gate, Rajpath and Connaught Place, among other areas. "This event is unique. It provides common people like us with an opportunity to run a marathon. It's a great experience and stresses on the need to run for good health," said Prateek Tiwari, a chemical engineer who had come all the way from Gurgaon to take part.
Sports enthusiast Sushila Bahl, who turned up for the race, was accompanied by her family and her sister's family which included four children-all under the age of 10 years. They not only cheered her but also ran alongside her.
Clad in pink shirts and black skirts, 40 girls of Adarsh Public School, Vikaspuri, participated in the marathon running for the cause of women's safety and women's education. Nishtha Taneja, a Class XII student, said, "It has been a year since the Nirbhaya tragedy and so one of the themes we chose this year was women's safety. The government did take a lot of steps and made changes in law but execution is lacking. We just wanted to remind everybody about the importance of this cause."
Preeti Advani runs a yoga centre. She and her colleagues were among the runners who joined to popularize yoga. Hundreds of bystanders gathered on both sides of the road and cheered participants. Some even helped official volunteers by handing out water bottles to the runners. The spontaneity was infectious. Elite athletes were seen dodging the crowd on a few stretches with smiles on their faces.
Legendary athlete Mikha Singh, special guest of the event, could be seen greeting the winners of the race. Business tycoon Anil Ambani, actors Rahul Bose and Bipasha Basu were star attractions.
Rashika Verma, a young girl from Adarsh Public School in Vikaspuri, attracted many eyeballs for her unique attire-onions strung around her waist. "After elections, only few people are talking about the rising food prices. People like us continue to face the brunt though. My aim is to bring this to government's notice," she said.
Mohammad Faisal Nawaz joined the marathon with a specific mission. The disability rights activist demands oxygen facility in all trains. "No one thinks about the people with respiratory troubles. I am campaigning for the reason and joined to aware more and more people," said the former engineer.
Source : Times of India , 16th December 2013
Himanshu's story can inspire many. He wanted to become an athlete and run for India in Olympics but this dream was cut short in 2008 by a road accident which left him with one of his legs amputated. But Himanshu bounced back in 2009 and started participating in races. He now aims to represent the country in Paralympics 2016.
Rajender Dua (40) has been paralyzed and wheelchair-borne for more than a decade but came to take part in the half marathon for the sixth time in a row. Equally commendable were the efforts of 65-year-old Vineet Mittal who underwent a bypass surgery and hip replacement but ran like a teenager.
Spine surgeon Dr Shankar Acharya from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital ran with his 30 patients to create awareness about increasing spinal problems due to wrong posture and lack of physical activity.
At least 84 senior citizens participated in the main event and hundreds took part in the Great Delhi Run. Elderly participants were greeted by the bystanders and even on-duty cops with claps. Eighty-two-year-old Chaman Singh Sandhu said, "I started alone but have inspired nearly 90 senior citizens from my area to join," he said.
When the younger runners passed them, they never frowned. They cheered them instead and continued at a slow and steady pace. "We are here to enjoy the spirit of the event. Throughout the year I wait for it," said SK Kaur, a 70-year-old retired teacher, said.
******************************************************
Even before the sun came out, Delhi was up and on its feet-all charged up to participate in the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. Few ran just to keep their tryst with the spirit of sport, some ran for fitness but most ran for a cause. Issues raised by the runners varied from women's safety, inflation and human trafficking to corruption and conserving the environment.
Participants started pouring in at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, the starting point for the marathon, from as early as 6am, with their running shoes on-some in wheelchairs, others in myriad outfits, often holding a placard with a message on it. Complementing the buzz of their energy was a running commentary from radio jockeys and invigorating music in the background to keep spirits from flagging.
The half marathon, covering a distance of about 21km, started at 7.20am and ended by 9.30am. It covered Lodhi Road, India Gate, Rajpath and Connaught Place, among other areas. "This event is unique. It provides common people like us with an opportunity to run a marathon. It's a great experience and stresses on the need to run for good health," said Prateek Tiwari, a chemical engineer who had come all the way from Gurgaon to take part.
Sports enthusiast Sushila Bahl, who turned up for the race, was accompanied by her family and her sister's family which included four children-all under the age of 10 years. They not only cheered her but also ran alongside her.
Clad in pink shirts and black skirts, 40 girls of Adarsh Public School, Vikaspuri, participated in the marathon running for the cause of women's safety and women's education. Nishtha Taneja, a Class XII student, said, "It has been a year since the Nirbhaya tragedy and so one of the themes we chose this year was women's safety. The government did take a lot of steps and made changes in law but execution is lacking. We just wanted to remind everybody about the importance of this cause."
Preeti Advani runs a yoga centre. She and her colleagues were among the runners who joined to popularize yoga. Hundreds of bystanders gathered on both sides of the road and cheered participants. Some even helped official volunteers by handing out water bottles to the runners. The spontaneity was infectious. Elite athletes were seen dodging the crowd on a few stretches with smiles on their faces.
Legendary athlete Mikha Singh, special guest of the event, could be seen greeting the winners of the race. Business tycoon Anil Ambani, actors Rahul Bose and Bipasha Basu were star attractions.
Rashika Verma, a young girl from Adarsh Public School in Vikaspuri, attracted many eyeballs for her unique attire-onions strung around her waist. "After elections, only few people are talking about the rising food prices. People like us continue to face the brunt though. My aim is to bring this to government's notice," she said.
Mohammad Faisal Nawaz joined the marathon with a specific mission. The disability rights activist demands oxygen facility in all trains. "No one thinks about the people with respiratory troubles. I am campaigning for the reason and joined to aware more and more people," said the former engineer.
Source : Times of India , 16th December 2013
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