Agony and ecstasy

Maintaining momentum and intense interest, several Zoroastrians showed true grit to run the daunting distance of 42 km (full marathon) and 21 km (half marathon) at the 11th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM) on January 19, 2014. Pervin Batliwala stood first in the senior veteran women (50 to under 60 years) category. Neville Bilimoria, Cyrus Mehta, Dr Farhad Kapadia, Dr Porus Peshoton, Darius Billimoria, Fabian Katrak, Ariez Kharas, Ervad Aspi Rao and others performed creditably in the full marathon. In the half marathon, Khurshid Mistry once again took third position on the podium in the senior veteran women category. Pervien Irani and Jer Bhandari were successful first timers. Byram Dhalla, Cyrus Contractor, Dr Aashish Contractor (who has been medical director for the SCMM since its inception in 2004), Kersi Dastur, Saroosh Dinshaw, Homiar Madon, Zarir Baliwalla and many more proved that fitness can be fun! "There is quite a Parsi punchayet in the running fraternity, as you can see!” jests Baliwalla.

Pervin Batliwala (left) with husband Kushru

"This was the second full marathon I have run and by far one of the most exhilarating and successful runs of my career,” asserts Batliwala who works with Hindustan Unilever Limited. Setting off at 5.40 a.m. from outside Victoria Terminus, she narrates that it was "perfect running weather with just a slight nip in the air. Just as good fast bowlers hunt in packs so do marathoners! I am fortunate to be a part of Savio’s Stars, a group of exceedingly supportive runners with whom I train regularly (under coach Savio D’Souza).” Moving at a steady clip of around nine kmph till the 30 km mark, she says "there were no unpleasant surprises such as cramps, pain and fatigue.” Energy drinks, oranges and salt along the way maintained hydration and high spirits! "At 30 km I was feeling surprisingly fresh and decided to push the pace. The dreaded marathoner’s wall (expected around the 32 km mark) luckily never came and I was able to finish strong in four hours 38 min, my personal best and a 10-minute improvement over my last marathon (where she had stood second). Yes, I am a junkie – running is the drug of my choice!” At a function on February 1, 2014 held by the Mumbai Road Runners, Batliwala received the award of "Best Runner Female.” "Dr Porus Peshoton and his wife Dr Urmila were given the ‘Best Runner Couple’ prize at the same function. The results were on the basis of voting which was done online,” Batliwala informs us.
"As doctors we both understand the importance of proper nutrition and exercise and long distance running is a great way to ensure we maintain good health and enjoy the effort that goes into maintaining it,” says Porus Peshoton who is a medical officer with ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company. "Marathon running is one event where you get better with age! I can say that for myself as well as about my close friends who at the young age of 60 years still manage to outpace me! The exact full marathon distance is 42.2 km and our running group is aptly named ‘Life Begins at 42.2.’” Waking up at 4.30 a.m. on Sundays, despite heavy professional commitments, Porus says that it is his passion for running that keeps him motivated every Sabbath for his long 30 km plus regular runs!

"Urmila is a natural athlete. She started running two years ago and did her first half marathon at the SCMM in January last year. Since then she has done four half marathons and despite limited time at hand for training (our two children keep us and especially her busy), she has been excelling with every event. At the SCMM this year, she did the 21 km distance in a personal best time of two hours and four minutes,” Porus proudly narrates his wife’s achievements. "The people on the road cheering you, children handing out biscuits and chocolates, fellow runners encouraging each other and the positive energy all along the way really helps to finish strong.”
Porus aims to up the challenge by running his first ultra marathon (race distance of over 42 km) in 2015 while Urmila’s immediate goal is to run the full marathon! "At times we plan our holidays and social events around our runs. It is great fun to plan it this way and we look forward to doing some international runs (and hence holiday) soon!” his enthusiasm is apparent.
"This is my seventh SCMM continuously from 2008, of which five have been full marathons and two half marathons,” says 60-year-old Ervad Aspi Rao who is a full-time priest (boiwala) at the Sethna Agiary at Tardeo. This year Rao did the distance in five hours 22 min in the senior veteran category, taking his tally of participation medals to seven. With no professional coach, Rao trains on his own, hitting the road at 4.30 a. m. from Chowpatty to Nariman Point, a distance of eight km to and fro. "I practice for four hours plus every fifth day to develop stamina for running nonstop. In addition I do light weight training in the evening at the Cusrow Baug gym, for which full-time mobeds are charged no fees,” he declares.
Ervad Rustom Dadachanji completed the full marathon in a time of six hours two minutes. There were 3,600 entries for the SCMM full marathon this year, 14,200 for the half marathon and 20,150 for the six km Dream Run, in which too several Zoroastrians particpated as per the SCMM website!

Overcoming severe stomach cramps within the first two km, Khurshid Mistry, multiple medal winner over sprint and long distances, completed 21 km in one hour 58 min. "The cramps were so bad that I had to stop running three times during the race and cut my speed as well. As soon as I tried to go faster the cramps would return and so all through the race I had to go slower than normal. This affected my timings drastically and I had to settle for third position. I was targeting a time of at least one hour 50 min,” she says with disappointment. In 2013, Mistry ran in the Vasai Marathon and the Goa River Marathon where she came first in her age group. "Therefore the first time I ran three half marathons in a year I secured podium positions in all of them,” she adds.
For Irani, motivation came from friends. "I had been running at Marine Drive and around five to six months before the event, I started structured training with the group under Savio. My timing at the SCMM was two hours 26 min. In my youth I was not at all sports minded. I enjoy running but I started it in my mid 40s!” chuckles the 47-year-old hair stylist who has her parlor at Colaba.
"It was my dream to run at least one marathon and I did it (21 km) in two hours 34 min in the veteran women category. I have to do it again! I’m hoping to take part in the Goa and Delhi marathons,” Bhandari bubbles with enthusiasm. Bad roads, heat and dust, knee and back problems, etc pale into insignificance, she says, as it gives you a totally different high! "I had not been practicing too much as I wanted to save myself for the final day. The excitement, the hoopla of the SCMM really helps,” describes the 47-year-old who does catering and takes small orders from home.
"A group of five of us, all of whom were targeting a finish time of two hours 15 min or just under, had decided to run together and we made excellent progress till the 18 km mark,” describes Baliwalla. "Everyone knows that 18 km (for the half marathoner) is where the business end of the race starts! Mr Cramps came visiting around this time and I had to slow down but managed to complete without stopping or walking in two hours 16 min.” This placed him among the top 19 percent in the veteran men category.
Among others, 83-year-old Rumi Taraporevala took part in the Senior Citizens’ run, raising a phenomenal Rs 11 lakhs plus for his chosen charity, exemplifying that sport is celebration! Actor John Abraham is the Face of the Event.