First edition of Puneri half marathon draws 1,500 runners

Reema Singh, the winner of the women’s 21km open category event, was one of the people to record their personal best

1,500 participants, 50 volunteers and 10 pacers united in the wee hours of Sunday morning to celebrate the spirit of running in the eastern part of the city at the first edition of Puneri Half Marathon that commenced from and concluded at Abhishek Lawns in Wagholi.

Members of Wagholi housing society association along with winners of first edition of Puneri half marathon that commenced from, and concluded at, Abhishek Lawns, Wagholi, on Sunday. (Shankar Narayan/HT PHOTO)

Reema Singh, the winner of the women’s 21km open category event, was one of the people to record their personal best. Having participated in the Mumbai Marathon in January, Singh was no stranger to running long-distance races but according to her, the advantage of having home comforts is what gave her the added impetus to succeed and win her first ever 21km race.

After clocking an impressive time of 1 hour 58 minutes and 27 seconds an elated Singh stated, “It was the first time I finished the race under 2 hours and probably because it was in Pune, I paced better than I normally have. As it is my personal best and in my hometown, it’s certainly going to be a marathon that I’m never going to forget.”

Keeping the athletes hydrated is something that every race organiser must keep in mind and Sport Alpha definitely delivered on this front, providing water bottles and energy drinks at regular intervals for all the participants in the different categories. According to Singh, it was done in a professional manner, which hasn’t been the case in most running events she’s taken part in.

“The hydration centres were available in every 1 to 1 and a half kilometres which enriched my racing experience. I’ve noticed them not being there at other events so I’m fortunate that the organisers did a good job to ensure we were looked after. The food pre and post the race was also extremely delicious,” she said.

Coming third in the under-40 21km event in the men’s category, Vijay Gaikwad believes that he could have done better. Being a coach himself for the past five years, he believes that long-distance running is a form of medication and such events should continue to happen in the city.

“I liked everything about the event, from the organisation to the volunteers to the hydration support. I was also so happy to see a number of people turning up at the event because I think running is a form of meditation and it can be the answer to a number of problems people face with their day-to-day lives. I’m hoping to compete in more such events here in Pune.”