Hyderabad: Thousands of Hyderabadis ran in the 11th annual Hyderabad 10k Run on Sunday in the city.
Police commissioner Anurag Sharma and former badminton star P. Gopichand signalled the start of the Deccan Chronicle 10K run while actor Sharvanand flagged off the 7K run in the morning.
Fitness levels are obviously high in the city as most of the participants, both men and women, completed the 10-km run within an hour of flag-off.
David Kiptoo Kiprotich finished the quarter marathon in exactly 30 minutes 48 seconds to come first in the Men’s Elite division.
Kavita Raut clocked 37 minutes and 20 seconds to stand first in the Women’s Elite division. Though everyone was running for a cause, there was cut-throat competition.
Next: DC 10k run is for ‘change’
DC 10k run is for ‘change’
K.K. Abdul Rahoof | DC
Hyderabad: The Deccan Chronicle Hyderabad 10K run was a good platform for charity and voluntary organisations to spread their messages. Hundreds of people ran the run to spread messages like ‘save the girl child,’ ‘palliative care of cancer patients,’ ‘blood donation,’ ‘protection of tribes’ etc.
Famous personalities supported such organisations. Additional DGP (Sports) Rajiv Trivedi was an ‘icon runner’ for them.
Members of Tharuni, a voluntary organisation, participated in the run to spread awareness about the severe imbalances in the sex ration in AP.
“We work towards empowerment of girl children and spread awareness about the imbalances in the state’s sex ratio.” said the director of Tharuni, Dr Mamatha Raghuveer.
“The woman-man ratio in our state has now reached 938-1,000. There are 13 districts in our state with less than 900 women for 1,000 men. If the trend continues, we may have to adopt polyandry. So we stand for the protection of the girl child in every stage of her life,” she added.
Tharuni is active in 13 districts of AP, including Hyderabad. They work to combat child marriages, curb trafficking and provide education for girls.
Its employees believe that the Deccan Chronicle Hyderabad 10K Run attracts participants from all walks of life, who will notice the messages spread by the organisation.
Sparsh Hospice, the first palliative care centre in AP, also participated in the run, with their active members running the race highlighting their message.
“We give free care for patients who are affected with terminal cancer. Though we can’t cure these patients, we can provide maximum care for them and make their life free of suffering and make their last stage of life less painful,” said Dr Subrahmanyam, one of the trustees of Sparsh Hospice.
Next: Medals, run-time SMSes made 11th edition better than before
Medals, run-time SMSes made 11th edition better than before
Padmini Copparapu | DC
Hyderabad: Despite grey skies looming ominously over the weekend, the spirit of the run runners remained bright and sunny as large crowds gathered at Necklace Road early Sunday morning for the muchawaited Hyderabad DC 10K run.
There were thousands of anxious faces, young and old, determined to make it to the finish line. The serious athletes concentrated on making it count in the medal tally, but the majority were just happy testing their strength and endurance, setting and breaking their own personal records.
“I can’t believe I did it. I trained for less than a month, so I didn’t expect to even finish, but this feels unbelievable,” said Anand Bharat, a first-time runner, who completed the race in 68 minutes.
Despite their obvious exhaustion, runners dotted People’s Plaza, bonding with their friends and colleagues, comparing their experiences and run times.
“It was a fantastic run. More so, this time, because they gave us medals for completing the race, which was not only a token to keep but also great for morale. I think the reason I come to the 10K run each year is because I always run into people that I haven’t seen in years and we end up having a great time,” said Sandeep Y., a software engineer at Capgemini who has been running the 10K run for the past five years.
Runners with experience of previous marathons seemed particularly happy with the 11th edition of the 10K run because it was well organised and tech-savvy. Many vowed that they preferred the Hyderabad run to marathons in other cities.
“There were not too many sponsors or celebrities hijacking the event, the crowd was good, and the weather was perfect. This was definitely a better racing environment. I was especially impressed with the racing bibs. The minute I finished the race, I got an SMS with my running time,” said Pradeep Kumar, a manager at Novartis.
The significant increase in the number of women participating was another reason this run was excellent, says Divi Alagappan, an IT professional and regular on the track.
“There used to be very few women in these events. But this time, there were almost twice as many as last year. It is so great to have so many women put on their running gear and participating,” she said.
Post-run merriments continued the rest of the morning and people returning to their homes already talking about training for next year.
Next: Man raced 10 km on wheelchair
Man raced 10 km on wheelchair
Hyderabad: A man in a wheelchair attracted many eyeballs at the Deccan Chronicle Hyderabad 10K Run with his stunts on his wheelchair and his determination to finish the race.
W. Chandrashekhar, 43, whose legs are paralysed due to polio, has been participating in the 10K Run since 2003. While others show their might with their legs, he challenges them with the power of his hands. “This run has been a part of my life since it started. I began participating in 2003, and have finished seven 10K runs so far. I had to skip three races due to unexpected illness.
I hope I can participate in and finish 10 more marathons in my life,” said Chandrashekhar Chandrashekhar, who is a political activist and a small-time businessman, was affected by polio when he was seven months old.
“Running 10 kilometres without a break is challenging even for a fit man. So I have great satisfaction when I compete with them with my paralysed legs,” he said. He was given a cash award by Tollywood producer Suresh Babu when he participated in his first run.
He lives in Krishnanagar in Yousufguda. Remaining physically strong and active was a goal all his life. He even learnt the martial arts. “I was given special training in karate by one of the prominent trainers in Hyderabad.”
Chandrashekhar never skips his early morning exercises. “I like to remain strong and energetic, so I reserve time for physical exercises every day,” he says.
