An English man ran a marathon everyday which is a remarkable feat. Now if anyone in Goa is interested in running, there are approximately twelve marathons taking place in Goa every year and the interest in this very demanding event is growing every year. There are a number of people from Goa who have been consistently participating in the event in the state and across the country. It requires training that is focused and specialized.
Running a marathon a day for charity
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James Cooper, from East Grinstead in West Sussex in England, chose to raise money for the charity after struggling with his own mental health and losing his uncle to suicide at the end of 2017. James ran a marathon every day in 2024 for charity said he is overwhelmed by joy and gratitude but will never take on such a big challenge again. He began his challenge on January 1 and ran more than 9,500 miles. The personal trainer completed the feat and raised more than £85,000 for the Samaritans. Since 2024 was a leap year, the 37-year-old ran 26.2 miles 366 times.
After his last marathon, he said, “I felt overwhelmed, that’s probably the best way to describe it. I almost felt numb for the first 20 odd miles, I ran the first half alone just to reflect a little and then invited runners to join me on the second half. That was incredible. We had 60 or so people. It kind of hit me with a few miles to go. Overwhelming joy and gratitude.”
Asked why he took on such a massive challenge, he said, “I have been doing endurance challenges for the last 10 years, so each year it has to get a little bit grander to attract attention.” He typically took five hours to run the distance and would start at 6am before working in the afternoons.
Life changing experience
For Engineer Pramod Divgi, running was something he took up in 2015. It made him take a look at his fitness levels and focus on improving himself. Running a marathon changed his outlook towards life and his wife is also very interested in fitness and trains regularly.
It has done wonders for both of them
as a couple.
For businessman Harish Kamat, a runner for well over a decade, it is his safety valve. It has made him fitter and more prepared to face the challenges that come up every day at work.
Agnelo Desa has been a runner first and is now a coach for interested people in Goa. He owes everything to the running he does. His wife is also a runner and so is his young daughter.
His training was so good his daughter completed the Iron Man race on two occasions.
For insurance salesman Padmanath Gadekar, running was something that he took up a couple of years ago and fell in love with it. It has changed him as a person making him a more outgoing individual and confident of himself.
In the beginning of practice
The process of getting ready to run the race can be a very strenuous affair. It is important to maintain good form while running which means a smooth, efficient, and balanced way of running that minimizes the risk of injury. One of the main aspects is the posture. Running tall, with the head high and centered between the shoulders, and the back straight, helps avoid injuries.
Good healthy food and sleep
It is important to maintain good nutrition which should include fruits and vegetables, fish, poultry, beans, lentils, tofu and healthy carbohydrates which will include rice, whole grain breads and pastas, and oatmeal. Coach Agnelo said it was important to get a good eight hour sleep when one is training. He said if he slept late and did not get the set number of hours of sleep, he would avoid the run for the day.
The big race day
On the race day itself, it is important to sleep well and be early at the venue. Based on the temperature, it is important to have a plan for the course. Padmanath, who is training for the marathon in Mumbai, said it is important to check the route, the slopes and the weather in the morning. If it is cool, he would push his pace in the beginning before it gets hot later in the morning where he would then go into a holding pattern. He said it was important to go at a steady pace up a slope and gain speed when coming down.
Pramod, who has run five marathons, said he starts his race at six minutes per kilometre. Depending on the weather, he tries to maintain the pace till 30 kilometres. After that it is all mental and he prepares for this examination by doing swimming and cycling, which helps him build extra stamina and go beyond the line.
Agnelo says that the marathon can be tackled but should be approached with caution and any attempt to cut corners is dangerous.
