Staying fit is not limited to just a few individuals who hit the gym. Good company, pleasant weather and good running shoes are enough to get the runner in you ready. With many active events like marathons, triathlons and tower runs taking place in Goa, many with a sporting heart are embracing running as a daily routine.
Dinesh Heda, an ultra marathon runner from Vasco, says, “As the Pinkathon was organised for the first time in Goa in association with the Vasco Sports Club, we received 1,500 registrations forms, of these, 1,200 participants were present at the Pinkathon. Many women completed the full marathon, but since it was an awareness campaign against breast cancer, there participation held more value,” says Dinesh.
Speaking about the Goa River Marathon (GRM) which is organised by the Vasco Sports Club, Dinesh adds, “The 6th edition of the Goa River Marathon received a great response with nearly 3,200 runners from India and abroad. For the first edition, there were only five Goans who participated and last year we had around 800 participants from Goa. I started running because of the Goa River Marathon and it is motivating when you have your friends running along with you.”
Tower Run is an annual event which requires participants to climb up stairs of a high storied building as a competition. Ashwin Tombat, Director of Adventure Breaks says, “This year was the third edition of the Tower Run in Goa and we had around 450 participants. Tower run is different from marathons as running stairs requires a different set of muscles compared to running on a flat surface. Each year, new participants join in as part of their companies for the team challenges. Many women participate as well,” says Ashwin.
Kajal Kerkar from Mapusa ran the 10kms Pinkathon for the first time for two reasons. “I wanted to support the breast cancer awareness campaign as I have close relatives who were diagnosed with and lost the battle to cancer. Secondly, it is a fitness regime. I purposely chose the maximum distance as it was a challenge to complete it and I did it in one and a half hours. There were many elderly women who were running and we had to keep up with them. From now on, I will continue running and participate in more marathons,” says Kajal.
Sapna Sardessai who runs a publishing and advertising business, Printer’s Devil, in Porvorim, participated in a marathon for the first time. “I was determined to participate as Pinkathon was being held for a cause. The experience of running in the marathon was just amazing. It was very addictive and I am looking forward to participating in the next marathon, that is Goa River Marathon. The best thing about completing a marathon is the sense of achievement it brings. It is very motivating,” she says.
Vrida Tavora, owner of Walkover, in Panjim, says, “It was a great experience participating at the marathon as I was running for the first time. I was selected as the Pinkathon ambassador for Muskan in Goa as a breast cancer survivor. What makes it even more interesting is that people come together and motivate each other to continue running,” explains Vrida.
