I chose running because it was all I could afford: Kaushal Chauhan
New Delhi, July 13, 2016: Kaushal Chauhan, the youngest runner in the inaugural edition of The Great India Run hails from Agra and is just 21-year-old. At his age, most of his peers would be dreaming of making it big in the world of cricket. However, for Ultramarathoner Kaushal Chauhan, running was a choice that he had to make to keep himself fit, as there was no other sport he could afford to play.
The 21-year-old runner is due to take part in The Great Indian Run – India’s first ever multi-city Marathon this month, which flags off from New Delhi on 17th July and culminates on 6th August 2016 at Mumbai. The 1480 kms long run that has been conceptualized by ProSportify in association with MobieFit Technologies will pass through Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Jaipur, and Ahmedabad. The run also has celebrity runner Milind Soman running a special stretch of 570 kms from Ahmedabad to Mumbai via Silvassa.
Kaushal says,“I grew up wanting to be a sportsman, but could never really afford the equipment. Running provided me some solace, as I could even run barefoot.” Kaushal doesn’t have a coach, and won his place in the race on merit, winning the “Run for Rio” competition organized by MobieFit Technologies. He further adds, “It’s a dream to be able to run alongside the likes of Arun Bhardwaj and other prominent runners. Running alongside such greats really motivates me and makes me think I can achieve much more that I had ever hoped for.”
The 29th of September 2012 is when he ran his first full marathon, 17 at the time. Today, one can see him running on the streets of India. Passionate about his sport, he also sees it as a lifestyle choice, rather than an active competition.
He explains his choice of running over other sports in an extremely unique way, “Apart from the competition it involves, running is also a great way to keep fit. You end up spending thousands on your health, but running helps negate all that and make you happy too. It brings about a positive revolution in your life.”
The Great India Run which aims to boost running as a sport in the country will feature 15 of the best ultra marathoners from India and abroad passing through six states in the country. Pre-selected pit stops of the run will consist of a 5K fun run as well as a 21 Km half marathon. The registrations for both the ‘Fun Run’ (Ghaziabad, New Delhi, Gurugram, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Silvassa, Mumbai) and the ‘Half-Marathon’ (New Delhi, Silvassa) across venues can be done through bookmyshow.com for minimal fees of INR 350 & INR 690 respectively.
The inaugural edition of ‘The Great India Run’ will see athletes Arun Bhardwaj, Siddharth Choudhary, David Bredo, Yuri Esperson, Meenal Kotak, Ranjana Deopa, Sreekanth Reddi, Melanie Delainey, Dinesh Heda, Joginder Chandna, Pia Hansson, Sunil Sharma, Shweta Sharma, Kaushal Chauhan and Dhanee Kumar going the distance.
ProSportify & MobieFit plan to make ‘The Great India Run’ an annual event. As the tagline ‘Jeet Har Kadam Par’ suggests the objective of this event is to build many more athletes for the future with the attitude and determination to win. The revenue generated the inaugural edition of TGIR will be contributed to ‘Go Sports Foundation’ an organization that works towards development of deserving Olympians in the country.