Comrades Marathon: 403 Indians line up for 90km race in S Africa

MUMBAI: Mulund resident Satish Gujaran is all set for D-day. The 60-year-old senior executive with a media group will be participating in the 'Comrades Marathon' - a 90km run in South Africa - in less than a fortnight on June 11. One of the toughest ultra marathons of the world, it's a race that has to be completed in 11 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds.

Gujaran is among 403 runners from India who will attempt the challenge to cover the distance from Pietermaritzburg to Durban this year. Running in India is a barely two-decade-old fad, but in this short span of time, Indians have taken to it like no other country. It has topped the list for international entries from any nation in the prestigious Comrades. As against 403 Indians who have signed up this time, the next highest number is from Zimbabwe with 255 entries, UK with 224, US with 173 and Brazil with 142 runners.

In recent times, Indians have travelled to foreign shores to increasingly take part in races like Boston, New York, Chicago, Berlin, London and Tokyo.

Gujaran, who will run the Comrades for the twelfth time, is a 'green number' holder. This means that he has a permanent racing bib since he has run the event for 10 years.

The lure of the Comrades Marathon is special for many participants because of the atmosphere during the run. Tents are pitched by locals who offer a slew of services - you can get a beer, or nutrition that helps runners finish the race. Even a quick massage for the fatigued limbs is part of the carnival-like aura along the route. Subash Motwani, who organises the logistics for Striders, a group of runners, for the Comrades Marathon, says it is a "proud moment for India" to be the number uno country as far as number of international entries is concerned.


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