KTM">Finishing the KTM
October 23rd, 2008 | Published in Adventure, Humour, India, Living, Running, Sports | 12 Comments
Mostly, I remember the last few kilometers of KTM. Because I’ve never been so relieved that it was done. But then I say that after every run :-)
Well, I probably wasn’t the only one : with the sun shining in all its glory : at times during the 3 hour affair I could feel it penetrating into my skull (through my hat) and burning holes and radiating out. I am not kidding. It was so HOT. We didn’t get an overcast day as we had hoped. Instead we had clear skies and the blazing sun and a delayed start : as a result of which most folks suffered quite a bit. The full marathoners were still running way into the 5th and 6th hour and I can only say that I am filled with admiration. I couldn’t have gone a mile beyond the 21!
In fact the last 2 kms or so was quite bad. I had developed a bit of a headache (I usually do when exposed for prolonged hours to the sun) and a blister on one sole. So, I was literally ambling along waiting for the corner to appear.
That’s when I caught up with Rajendra Patel.
“How much are you running?†he asked.
“Only the half,†I replied.
“Oh good, good. You know, this is commendable. Especially carrying your weight.â€
Hmm. Not my weight again!
Before I could respond, he added: “Now we can run together.â€
So we ambled along together. Meanwhile, Rajendra Patel decided that he needed to keep up the conversation. He was an ex-Army guy and had been to Nagaland. He had met several Boras (and were they my cousins?!), and he lives in Pondicherry now.
It was actually due to him that I got completely distracted by my painful aching sore muscles that had had enough. He insisted I should not beat him at this stage and I agreed.
So finally, after 2 hours and 58 minutes of the heat and the sun, we crossed the finish line together.
On an aside, the KTM route was beautiful : whenever I had a chance to look up and around! Green all around with a channel of water running alongside you and fields to both sides : an absolutely idyllic countryside scene which made me feel at times that I should have been there with a camera instead. A perfect location to take a stroll or even go on cycling. The only traffic was in the form of buffaloes and a few villagers who seemed really amused at us sprinting, darting, ambling and walking down “their†territory.
So that was the KTM. The Ultra comes next!
~ Sudhir has some great pics
~ More on the marathon
~ Manoj and his marathon effort
~ Bhasker just keeps running
~ Shantanu’s experience
~ Prateek runs his second
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:55 pm (#)
WOW!!! Congratulations and kudos for your efforts.
October 24th, 2008 at 12:54 am (#)
That is awesome. way to go! Congrat! now Indulge :)
a frequent reader of your blog :)
October 24th, 2008 at 1:07 am (#)
congrats ! the place looks beautiful .. but what I can see is that the shadows are going the wrong way — mustve been painful !!
October 25th, 2008 at 5:06 pm (#)
wow I never thought a marathon in cities could take you to such greenery.
October 27th, 2008 at 9:01 am (#)
Good show at KTM…On on to the Ultra.. Cheerz
October 29th, 2008 at 5:00 am (#)
Now that’s a steadfast spirit. Finishing the course is tougher than we think. Loved the post, it baffles us what the human body is capable of defying. You seem to have added another medal of completion to your adventures. Keep it going. :-)
October 31st, 2008 at 7:29 pm (#)
Good Show Anita. Best of luck for the Ultra
October 31st, 2008 at 10:05 pm (#)
@ sp: thanks!
@ “a”: thanks! and also for the comment :-)
@ sahu: yes, the way back was facing the sun all the way — very painful!
@ ravi: this wasn’t in the city. it was near srirangapatna! but, not that far away either!
@ manoj: thanks! and congrats on your 42? 50?
@ kdphotoman: thanks, it really is! but you’re right, you know what the human body is capable of when you push it to the limits and it’s quite incredible to see some of the stalwarts in action — really inspiring!
@ shantanu: hey, thanks! and same to you for your 50! :-)
November 3rd, 2008 at 4:42 pm (#)
Glad to know that Rajendra Patel helped ease the run, many of us in the bus was fed up with his “entertainment” :)
November 11th, 2008 at 5:24 pm (#)
You ran 21 kms and for 3 hours — hats off to you anita. Weight doesn’t matter. Many of us thin ones aren’t so fit as you. Seriously, you are just a.m.a.z.i.n.g!!!!!
November 18th, 2008 at 7:57 am (#)
@ jayadeep: hehe, anything to distract me from the pain was good :-)
@ usha: thank you!!
November 18th, 2008 at 8:33 am (#)
[…] At around the 23 k mark, I bumped into Mr Patel again who claimed he was waiting for me to pass by (for reference, I had finished the KTM with him)! He, of course, insisted that we run together to the finish. We set a comfortable pace and then finished off the 25 kms in 3 hours and 29 minutes. […]