The Great India Run: Runners prevail against all odds to reach Silvassa
Soman flagged off the run from Ahmedabad on 27th July
The Great India Run, India’s first multi-city marathon is set to enter its final stopover Silvassa today. The event conceptualised by ProSportify in association with MobieFit Technologies has been a true test of endurance, grit and determination for the 15 ultra runners participating in the same.
The run, which initially aimed to cover a distance of 1480 km between Delhi and Mumbai in 20 days, is running pleasantly ahead of schedule, now finishing in Mumbai on the 4th rather than the 6th of August.
Monday morning will see The Great India Run flag off from Forest Depot in Khanvel, Silvassa at 6 AM. Present to grace the occasion will be Shri Nitin Kumar Jindal Deputy Director Tourism, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, ultra runners who have been running from Delhi from 17th July and Icon Runner Milind Soman who flagged off the run from Ahmedabad on 27th July.
The locals will be seen running through the picturesque land of Silvassa along with the runners by participating in 5k fun run. The proceeds from these runs will go to the GoSports Foundation in order to help future Olympians of the country make it on the biggest stage of them all.
The Great India Run has traversed the fields and deserts of Northern India and will now move onto the hills and forests of Western India. With an aim of spreading a message of fitness, the run features runners from the most diverse of continents such as Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.
The Great India Run that features Icon runner Milind Soman along with strong elite field of 15 ultra runners-Arun Bhardwaj, David Bredo, Yuri Esperson, Siddharth Choudhary, Meenal Kotak, Ranjana Deopa, Sreekanth Reddi, Melanie Delainey, Dinesh Heda, Joginder Chandna, Pia Hansson, Sunil Sharma, Shweta Sharma, Kaushal Chauhan, and Dhanaee Kumar has seen an excellent team atmosphere.
Speaking ahead of the event, Milind Soman said, “The weather hasn’t been so great, I was expecting some rains on the way. However, it’s been a great journey so far and I am excited to run through Silvassa for the first time.”
From Silvassa, the runners enter the last stage of The Great India Run and aim to reach Mumbai on 4th August. While they have suffered injuries and been affected due to adverse weather, it has been their grit and determination which has kept them going. Their only goal is now to keep the momentum going for the finish in Mumbai.
Speaking prior to the event, Ultra Runner Arun Bhardwaj echoed these sentiments, “This run has been an excellent test of our willpower and fortitude. There’s no denying that a run like this makes us challenge ourselves and also serves to motivate and inspire those around us. I think through The Great India Run, even if we’ve inspired one person to run, we’ve achieved our goal.”
A support staff of 40 people along with two Ambulances, a Nutrition Vehicle with nutritionist on board, two Physiotherapists and two Masseurs has supported the team throughout.