Saturday, August 11, 2012

Urban Stampede 2012 - My first 5K Run

 It was only a 5k run, which was actually a relay accumulating to 20k by 4 participants. It being my first, and for most of us in office, we all did practice a lot. Some by running in a near by park and some on the threadmill. Nevertheless, it was all an experience not to be forgotten by me.

The day ie 5th Aug, started by leaving from home at 5am with my friend Dharma. Having not met him for last 5 years or so and since he is a very familiar name in the Bangalore marathon's he too wanted to come and see the the Urban Stampede for the first time.
The activity at the Clarks Exotica Resort was in full action when the sun just seemed to come up.

The first pic of the day with our colleagues. CSGI had 28 members which formed the 7 teams.

Runners for Life (RFL) had organised this event and as per their impeccable standards, every detail is taken into account for the runners. There were enough water holes along with bananas and biscuits to charge one self with energy. The changing rooms, the rest rooms and the baggage counters were well organised. 
To accommodate 1500 enthusiastic runners is definitely not a small task and I must say that the event was very well organised. With every passing year, the number of runners for each of the 5k runs or the 10k runs is only increasing by the day.

The Run started at 7:00 AM and with the first 18 minutes, the first runner from the Toyota Kirloskar company came back. It was amazing to see such record pace and as is the history, they have been winning the competition from the past few years.

Here are the few of the race pictures and pictures after the completion of the Race.

Rakesh, Aditya, Nitesh and me enjoying a lite moment.



The atmosphere, in the early part of the morning before the race.




The Starting line
The early finishers at the finish line.. Guess from Toyota group.


The part of the CSGI group on the stage after completion of Race

With the Medal
Another group photo..


The lessors...

It was about 14 years back(in my college days), when I had been to Panjim from Margao and was in the queue to pick up a bus ticket. Its a shuttle service which doesnt have an on board conductor and the tickets need to be taken at the counter. Yes, that does save a lot of money and resources. In that long line waiting to buy the tickets, there was one gentlemen who has a disability in his foot. Considering its a long line, some gentlemen ahead of him in the queue, requested him to skip the line and directly go to the counter. (Apparently there was also another counter for the disabled, but no one was behind the counter). But this gentlemen refused the offer politely and said that he was okay and he was fit enough to be in the line. The other person, did seem a bit embarrassed, though there was not need for him to be, and he was only offering help.   And there I was near the end of the line, only hoping that I could skip the line and get to the front :)

I am sure, we all feel the same when we are in a long queue. But for the person, who has been named as a disabled, not by him but by the society in general due to a lack of something in him, does feel offended by it time and again. He really doesn't want that tag. He wants to be considered as normal like every one else, and though there are facilities like these provided, they want to avoid it.

Then again, its not just the physical or mental disability people who have been treated like this. This kind of behaviour is seen across all the areas. For those who are financially challenged, there is a certain kind of sympathy which is given by the better off people. They try and pay their bills in a dinner meeting or so. Not really trying to put them down, but more so, because they feel they can do something for them. And this too does hurt that league of people, who are at the receiving end.

Then there are other segment of people, who, though dont come in the above mentioned categories, but there is something less in them, which makes them not in line with the 'generic' society terms and conditions.

I am not sure, whether this discrimination is really to put them down, but more so, in a line of sympathy.
Just try and avoid that. There is nothing more hurting than enhancing one's limitations in whichever manner it may be. Just be normal to everyone and if there is something that needs to done for them, do it in anonymity.

My 2 cents ..