Running has always been a passion ever since my older cousin introduced us to cross country when we were in the first standard. We used to try and stay with him as he, a teenager, loped through the country side around Madurai. He used to encourage us as he was pretty impressed with how far my brother and I could go at that age. Dad followed suit, taking us to running tracks and encouraging our interest as we grew older. I used to run at least a few miles every morning through school, and ended up the individual sports champion in my final year. Running remained a passion through my work life, starting with Delhi when I joined ITC as a management trainee. Running in Delhi summers was tough, as an evening run could induce a nose bleed due the heat. So running was a late night activity, or very early in the mornings. Later on, even during the Mumbai monsoons, I used to do my three miles every day in pouring rain and high winds along the Band Stand and Carter Road in the suburb of Bandra, earning the title ‘The Mad Runner of Bandra’ by the locals! Running! It’s a fantastic thing to do, for fitness, for well being, to de-stress and to feel on top of the world. For it gives one a natural high which is hard to beat. Wanna start? Read on….

Chennai now has an intrepid group of running enthusiasts who call themselves ‘The Chennai Runners’. This is a motley crew from all walks of life, professionals, students, house wives…. anyone bitten by the running bug. And they take their running very seriously. Check out their website here. For many of them, it’s the place to train for running marathons. For others, it’s a daily fix. Their sign off says it all, “Do more… start running!” The group began with three members in December 2005 who came together to promote running and fitness, and grew primarily through word of mouth. Today the group consists of several hundreds who have a weekly running regimen aimed at fitness, stamina, strength building and endurance, culminating in a 20 to 30 KM run every Sunday morning. The goal? To participate in marathons in India and elsewhere, for a marathon is the ultimate test of mind over body, where the prime goal is to push yourself beyond what you have done before. Its all about a personal challenge. Interested? You can contact the Chennai Runners from their website and sign up and open up a whole new world. And discover a new you in the process! And no, you won’t be meeting me there if you’re wondering. A motorbike accident resulted in spinal injury and the loss of two discs, putting an end to my long distance running days. But hey, I do many other things like row, dance, work out, swim….and enthuse about running!

So, wanna do more? Start running. With the Chennai Runners, this city is the best place to start!