NASHIK MAHAMARATHON

By Veloscope

March 7^th, 2018

This was the first flag off of the four Mahamarathons planned across the cities of Nasik, Aurangabad, Kolhapur and Nagpur. Yup, the city names can bring both surprise and quandary, but that's what the initiative is all about. To reach to the runners, athletes, hobbyists and the common man of what are quintessentially the second tire cities of Maharashtra. This is to take the sport beyond Mumbai and Pune.

With over 6000 runners, the streets of the historic and cultural city, Nashik, were transformed by a river of energetic crowd, amateur runners, elite athletes and the fun race category runners, thus creating the largest marathon of the city and in the Northern Maharashtra region in its first edition. Under the flag bearer ship of the largest media house in the state, Lokmat, the event was assured to be the best organized with latest technology and infrastructure combined with an excellent crowd.

the morning energy.

It was one of those race mornings where good weather, great course, busloads of very keen, savvy, enthusiastic and downright amazing marathon runners were ready to take on the road and CRUSH IT! Energy was contagious and incredible.

With strong journalism from last 45 years, Lokmat is just not an iconic platform but is also empowering with its outreach in all segments of children, youth, women and general population through its initiatives on education, health and empowerment. As more and more sport enthusiasts and marathoners are coming from smaller towns and aspire to participate in the national and international level marathons, it was a dutiful and an imperative step by Lokmat to create a platform for runners from Tier 2 and 3 cities to come ahead, chase their dreams, fulfill their passion and nurture the unseen potential and talent.

While running through the historic city, pacing yourself to the finish line, you get to witness the city and its people readying themselves for the day that lies ahead. The milkmen, shopkeepers and all the early risers we usually miss due to our own daily routines.

THE GREENER SIDE.

The route went through the city roads towards Trimbkeshwar temple, leading the runners through the city establishments towards the more greener outskirts and then back. A pretty much flat track through out, it allowed runners to speed up their timings and challenge their previous bests in respective categories.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME.

With some impressive accomplishments, personal bests, runners of all abilities finished their registered distance run. The number of participant runners from diverse backgrounds was empowering. Mahamarathon intends on becoming a grand marathon in the calendar of Indian running and it has already made its mark in its first edition itself.

THE FESTIVITIES.

Celebrations and music are Maharashtra's trademark and every event of any nature is merely an excuse to dish out the festivities.The Mahamarathon was no exception. You start the run invigorated with the dhols and the trumpets and finish like a victorious warrior returning from the battlefield.

The finisher medal from each of the four cities of the Mahamarathons is the map of a city that you are running in. So when you participate and finish a run in each of these races, all the medals, when put together, form the shape of the state of Maharashtra as on the map and you earn yourself the title of ‘Maharunner’. That's pretty neat eh?

THE BIGGER PICTURE.

An initiative giving the relatively smaller cities their big marathon to celebrate and linking them all together is a work of great vision and intentions. India as a country needs a lot more of these events reaching further than the metropolitan cities. This is indeed the first step in a journey of a thousand miles.