Mumbai: “My father was a flight navigator for 20 years. So, I thought of becoming one too,” he said. But Dr Purnendu Nath’s terminal isn’t remotely associated with the cockpit. He is a teacher, a fitness preacher and has been a head-turner in Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM).
The 46-year-old’s alliance with SCMM started in 2009 when he accidentally ran a half-marathon and gradually, became a pacer. But Dr Nath is all set to redefine technology in the 13th edition of the marathon introducing race-specific pacer bands.
The bands will help marathoners set their own pace.
Pacer strips designed for Mumbai Marathon. (Photo: DC)
“With my advanced degrees and years of modelling experience, I created a computer model for both the new, untested, SCMM half marathon route and the traditional full marathon route using GPS readings from various devices (for both distance and altitude) and built a mathematical model that would allow me to model runners of different ability running all the different elevations along the route (Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Pedder road etc),” said Dr Nath, who also crosschecked results produced by these bands with a runner friend from a mathematics background.
“I then produced these bands for a wide range (and sufficient granularity) of finish times and made them freely available on the internet along with an instruction video,” he added. They can be obtained by going to www.PuruTheGuru.me.
The pacer strips need to be worn beside the wrist watch. (Photo: DC)
Dr Nath is an actuary by profession (Fellowship of the Institute of Actuaries from England) with a PhD in Finance but currently, he is using his human capital to make the world a better place.
Different from GPS
“A Global Positioning System (GPS) device only tells you where are you are when, it does not tell you where you have to be when. It's like a dashboard, not a navigator,” pointed Dr Nath, who is also personal trainer certified by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Dr Nath designed the idea so that more runners can time their race.
“It troubled me often that a pacer is only able to help a limited number of marathoners. These runners have to be able to start and run with the pacer all the way and have the same target finish time, but what about all those runners who cannot meet the pacer because there are huge crowds and not everyone starts in the same enclosure? Also, if someone has a target time like 1:54 rather than 1:59, he does not have a pacer to follow.”
Dr Nath, fondly called ‘Puru The Guru’ also stressed on the utility of the pacer bands compared to that of the branded ones produced earlier.
“These ones are race specific. The stuff handed out by major brands last suggested that people to run at a constant speed along the entire route which is ridiculous. My bands offer a huge emotional and technical support to the experienced and inexperienced runner for the race targets. I have had some extremely fast runners (regular podium finishers) request these bands. Official pacers for SCMM have also asked for it. The fact of the matter is that with no one having run the new route for the half marathon, the chances of going wrong are not small. These bands are well thought out and so should provide a scientific framework from which any runner can approach the run,” he mentioned.
New inventions
For the full marathon, Dr Nath invented “pacer strips” which can be cut out and hung from a safety pin of the running number bib.
“Full marathoners are more likely to sweat a lot and might not like to wear a double band. These strips can be looked at (designed specially to be "upside down") from the runner's eye looking down and then ripped off as the kilometres roll by,” said Dr Nath, often spotted sprinting in the Maximum City.
The bare body and shorts is now his signature style. People shout “Salman” and “Bhaag Milkha” and the latest trend being “Go Milind”. But that doesn’t bother Dr Nath, a Bengali from Assam, but British by birth.
He also dismissed the clichéd notion of the mass calling Bengalis lazy.
“I am not at all conscious of the way I am dressed when I run as I am very focused on my running (posture, breathing) when I am doing it. No, Bengalis are not lazy. Perhaps, we just think about the world differently and have different aspirations from the new India. We never needed to work hard in terms of physical labour. I doubt one would call all those scientists and other intellectuals from Bengal (East and West) lazy,” he said.
However, this marathon, it seems the participants need not worry about locating their pacers. A couple of bands with ‘target time’ and ‘fall back target’ can solve the purpose.
“After all, SCMM is the city’s answer to Mardi Gras, a fitter version,” concluded Dr Nath.
