Wow! The marathon is here

Athenian soldier Pheidippides, as we have all been told, ran 25 miles to announce the defeat of the Persians to his countrymen then died of exhaustion immediately after. The truth-value of this saga is suspect but there isn''t a better example of human endeavour and will power; of triumph even in death.
"We must be immortal, as far as we can," is an Aristotelian axiom that finds fascinating expression in the running of the marathon.No other sporting event captures the ''meaningful madness of life'' better than this race. Physically gruelling and psychologically daunting, it is not for the weak-bodied or the feeble-minded. It requires virtually uninterrupted training and 24x7 motivation.
Very few dare the distance. Only those who survive the blisters, the aching muscles, the bursting lungs and the avalanche of self-doubts are known to experience the ''second wind'', which takes them to the finish line.
Most marathoners, however, will concede that they race against themselves. The real triumph, as in life, is in lasting the distance, head held high. Perhaps that''s why marathoners look introspective and philosophical, unlike sprinters who exhibit muscle-power and bristle with aggro.
I might add ''clean'' and modest too. Steroid-induced bulge would be a handicap over 26-plus miles, and surely no
endurance guy would wear a tattoo like 100m Maurice Greene which reads GOAT i.e. Greatest Of All Time. To a marathoner, he would be just a goat.
A marathon reveals the mysteries, provides wisdom of life. "If you want to know what you''ll look like after ten years, look in the mirror after you''ve done a marathon," says the wit Jeff Scaff. Since I am running only the 7km Dream Run, there is no merit in such self-appraisal. Instead, I will be watching Anil Ambani closely after he finishes his 21-odd km today.
Gerard Rach''s zinger against the Indian Hockey Federation has left me intrigued. The German coach has called the IHF ''a madhouse''. While a great many who care about the sport have suspected this for sometime, just what does he mean? Does a helpless KPS Gill run a bin full of loonies, or has it become one because of him?
More seriously, my surmise is that Rach, rancid after rejection, chose to precipitate a controversy. Why did he wait till he was given the heave-ho before spilling the beans, as it were, when he had been eyewitness to the shenanigans for more than four months?
That said, the problems still exist, Mr Gill, and needs your immediate attention. Over the last two decades, Indian hockey has been like the floo-floo bird, "which flies backward and is more interested in where it has been than where it is going." Suddenly, there is an opportunity — through money, a high-voltage platform and (hopefully) spectator interest - to revive the sport.
The onus is on you. Indian hockey is bigger than Rach, Rajinder, Jyothi, Dhanraj and Gill or name who you will. It would be a tragedy if this opportunity is squandered.
And finally, from Monday begins the Australian Open and the magic of Roger Federer. Is the best male player of all time? At last year''s Wimbledon, Andrew Castle of the BBC said Federer''s "only weakness is heavy metal music" which enigmatically approaches that conclusion.