Run Free - my first ultra

“I don't want anyone to do anything except come run, party, dance, eat, and hang with us. Running isn't about making people buy stuff. Running should be free, man.”

- MikahTrue a.k.a. Caballo Blanco from“Born to Run”

The boom in running across India is evident from the number of events springing up every other day. The "business" model is to tap the newfound interest in Running and also appeal to the participants charitable side. Add a photographer to this mix and we have the social networking needs satisfied as well, apart from the selfies with a medal post run.

The organisation is handed over to event management companies who hire locals to man the water stations. This breed is  totally oblivious to the needs of runners. One such specimen had hurled a bottle at me at the fag end of Mumbai marathon hitting me straight near the eye as my sagging reflexes could not hold on to it. The medals are handed over across the refreshment counter and the perfunctory mark on the bib made to make sure you don’t come for their "refreshments"again. The food bag is sometimes a dried up muffin, a shrivelled apple or orange and a bottle of water which the rag pickers eye the moment you are out of the refreshment counter looking out for a place to rest your tired butt. The run itself is within the city which is most of the time ignorant of the event (except Mumbai 😊). There are amusing bystanders or cursing motorists who have been halted. There are school children who line up the route brought forcefully because they belong to a government school and the local government body is one of the organisers.

But like the quote above “... Running should be free”, free from all the pressures of podium places and personal bests. Free from the city and the urbanscape, as natural as it can be, into the trails, out in the hills with nature for company and friends around you.

The Pune Ultra organised by a running group called Freerunners have nailed the Run Free concept to the tee.

The Route  - was a well-planned mix of village tar road and trails on the outskirts of Pune off Sholapur highway in Loni-Kalbhor. A 12.5 km loop with some gradients thrown in. A section of the route went through a beautiful Shiva temple, Ramdara in the middle of a pond and rose up and down into the country side flanked by fields and water bodies. Paved with cobble stones and rough patches of rubble it was also a birding spot for avid birders like me 😊

Devoid of advertisements or sponsors or charity slogans the registration fee was a paltry the now defunct 500/- rupees. With an additional 500/- for people who wanted to stay overnight, simple accommodation in the nearby Innovera School premises (one of the partners) was provided.

The Support – Pure bliss, ultra support for the ultra runners. Manned by runners and equipped with oranges, salt, bananas, sponge, water, potato chips, Enerzal and the timing chip scanner and most importantly encouraging words and cheering. This was the scene at all the support points and the enthusiasm did not taper off even at the end of the race when it was most needed. Some of the volunteers were there from the day before for 160 km, 100 km and 75 km distance participants.

All runners for the 50 km finishing within the cut-off of 6:30 hrs were presented with a plaque from the Race Directors Badri Narayan and Jeetu Nair. They were pampered and their accomplishments celebrated.

Post run a simple meal along with boiled eggs made sure that each of us was replenished with adequate energy to drag our elated, tired self back home.

Take a bow, Free runners !! Pune Ultra is an event which will be on the calender of all ultra runners. Count me in again