GURUGRAM: Here’s a run that can set you up for the world’s major marathons and ultramarathons. So eagerly is it awaited that not even Covid could get in the way. “In both years, 2021 and 2022, we had a window at this time when the wave was less, so we were able to organise the Trail-a-Thon, though on a smaller scale and keeping in mind everybody’s safety,” reveals Umesh Gupta, the event’s co-founder and co-organiser.On a chilly and overcast January morning, with the threat of rain hanging in the air, almost 1,000 folks from Gurugram and across the NCR turned up at a spot off the Southern Peripheral Road for a bit of Sunday excitement and competition. “We start off together and in a spirit of fun but then things get serious!” shared Prachi Garg, part of a foursome that always sticks close; among her fellow runners are brother Saurabh Garg, Dr Bharat Singh and Sunil Uke. “We have covered all distances, taken part in runs ranging from 1km to 72km,” told the soon-to-be-septuagenarian Uke. “We enjoy the way the trail challenges our bodies because you’re running on ground that is gravelly and rocky, you’re running amid the wilderness. And it’s a stretch on which you find something new every time.” The Teleperformance Trail-a-Thon is a team effort, and the enthusiasm and camaraderie shown by running groups from across the region – collectives like Aravali Trail Blazers – is difficult to miss. Participants can register in either of the 7km, 14km, 28km, 56km or 84km runs (with a 5km ‘nature walk’ added this time around). Hemant Beniwal is a Trail-a-Thon regular because it allows him the chance to breathe, to escape everyday Gurugram, “a road race that is like a rat race”. He ran 28km in an unhurried 2hrs 30min. “Here, you come to nature, where the terrain changes with every step, sometimes downhill and sometimes uphill. Then, you encounter species of birds while running – it’s like therapy,” he told TOI. For the many tired of their urbanised surrounds, the Trail-a-Thon provides visual and mental relief. “It’s a 14km loop down to Damdama Lake that lets you take in the Aravalli range. Because, people don’t realise the jungle that exists outside their city,” adds Beniwal, who ran both the Boston and Chicago marathons last year. Binay Sah was treading this trail for the fifth time. For an athlete who has represented India in the 100km World Championships in Croatia (2018) and 24 Hour World Championships in France (2019) – both organised by the International Association of Ultrarunners – the Trail-a-Thon is the ideal training for taking part in blue-ribbon events like the New Delhi Marathon, slated for February. Sah, who ran 28km on Sunday, took up running in 2016, inspired by his son. “The life-changing moment for me came when I took part in the Comrades Marathon in South Africa, in 2017,” he shared. “Based on my performance there, I got selected for the 2018 100km World Championships.” Incidentally, the Comrades Marathon covers a distance of some 89km between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, and is recognised as the world’s oldest and most prestigious ultramarathon. Sah’s journey from the Aravallis to KwaZulu-Natal has been a long but fulfilling one. Also part of the Sunday crowd was Gurugram DC Nishant Kumar Yadav, who ran the 7km in 42 minutes. In a city known for its devotion to fitness, the Trail-a-Thon is one calendar date that will always be embraced.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/spirit-triumphs-1000-brave-chill-run-for-fun-fitness-in-delhi-ncr/articleshow/97429267.cms