Four-year-old Kiyara Agarwal woke up earlier than usual on a Sunday morning to get ready for her big day at the London Marathon. She headed out with her father Krishan Agarwal and mother Riki Agarwal to reach the Canary Wharf venue by 9:00am, to distribute water and sweets and cheer on the running enthusiast.
“Is there any children's marathon? – I want to run too,” said the ardent Kiyara when she saw runners passing by, stopping to smile at her, take water bottles and sweets while she handed these over and waved out at them.
Krishan Krishan was also volunteering and wanted to set an example to his young one. “Being Indians living in the UK, volunteering in an international event like the London marathon helps us spread the message of the importance we attach to inclusiveness in the social fabric.
“Volunteering is an opportunity in the direction to fulfil our responsibilities towards a social cause and a way to appreciate the efforts made by other people.
“She was very excited when she distributed water to the runners... she was particularly happy to see participants dressed up as cartoon figures like batman, superman and the entire family found the experience very enriching” Kiyara's mom Riki said.
Our Associate Editor Rupanjana Dutta was also at the Westferry end of the marathon, cheering the runners. “Oh it's exciting to see so many people running for a good cause, defying any hindrance, defending all the challenges. There were a record number of 40,000 marathon runners this year, a great effort to raise money for a well-deserving cause,” she said.
“We go every year to cheer the runners,” said Geeta Chug who saw the runners in Canary Wharf. “It was fantastic, my four-and-half year old also went with us this year.”
Leena spotted a man dressed up as Gandhiji, running in the marathon. “My first reaction was – wow, he really looks like Gandhi, the resemblance was so close. It felt really good seeing someone dressed up as the father of our nation.”
Jonathan grew up seeing the London Marathon from the time he was 4.
“It's hard to believe it's been 37 years since the first London Marathon but it's also hard to remember a time before the marathon. It's such an institution now and a great opportunity for us to show off the UK's capital to the world,” he said.
When I went to see the marathon as the Greenwich park, the mood was building up for the Marathon. There was lively music with an impromptu flash mob dance that we all joined in. Organisers were giving out instructions and the park was sprawling with runners stretching out, chatting and gearing up for the run. The disabled entrants were queuing up with wheelchairs and the blind runners with their partners.
Sanjiv Roy who came for his morning walk said “London is a melting pot and today we actually got to witness this. There are so many tourists and people from all walks of life who have come to participate here today.”
Dr Purvy Patel, a Psychiatrist from a local Child and Adolescent Mental Health organisation from Cambridge, ran in the Marathon to raise funds for buying books that would benefit the mentally challenged students at a local primary school.
“I joined over 38,000 people in a quest to complete the 2017 London Marathon and I succeeded. I ran my first Marathon; it was truly one of the most amazing and memorable experiences of my life and achievement in every sense. My parents ran their first Marathons right back in 1981 and since then, growing up, it had been my ambition to do the same,” said Dr Patel.
“My training was tough due to work and family commitments, but I stuck to training twice a week and managed to complete the Marathon in 4hours 56 minutes, which I truly believe is an achievement considering the amount of training I fit in. Ultimately, I believe marathon training is about mental strength and a real desire to achieve a goal. As a Psychiatrist, I am a firm believer that sport in any form helps the mind.
“Coincidentally, this year's chosen Marathon charity, led by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry is also dedicated to a mental health charity. My efforts have raised over £2000 for Centre 33, a Cambridgeshire based charity that supports young people with mental health problems as well as our local primary school,” she said.
Dr Patel's mother, Mayura Patel and her father Vinod Patel have been participating in marathons, and other sporty activities as a true inspiration to the Asian community. What makes it outstanding is the fact that Vinod Patel had cancer in the mouth nearly thirty years back. He fought cancer– and in a true inspirational manner, bounced back by running marathons and actively participating in different sports.
It was not just the Asians – the British royalty brought a personal touch to the big charity race-day by dropping their etiquette and greeting the crowds with royal hugs and high fives. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry stood in the sidelines to cheer the crowds – both startling and exciting them. Prince Harry was nicknamed “royal hugger-in-chief”
The Duke and Duchess and Prince were representing the mental health charity Heads Together, and had around 700 competitors running for the charity in blue, and Bryony Gordon from the Daily Telegraph managed to raise £35,000 for the charity.
Many Asians run in the London Marathon- each for their own reasons. ITV TV presenter Nina Hosain tried to reach the under 4 hours mark. Last year, the actor-writer Manjit Mann ran the London Marathon to gain first-hand experience before writing a novel on a woman who ran the marathon.
Whatever be the reasons, a perfect Sunday morning saw what is sometimes referred to as the world's greatest sporting event, the London Marathon, start off in Greenwich this year. Its blend of competitive racing - for men, women, wheelchair, and disabled entrants - was complemented by a large number of amateurs and club runners, a reasonable proportion of whom were running to raise funds for their chosen charities.
It was a testament to the strength of the sporty community, and all of the entrants, that the recent Westminster attacks didn't dampen the exuberant mood. This was the first time after the horrific attacks that people came together to represent a unified capital. Competitors had come from many countries to be a part of this major event and they stood unified, unwilling to let anyone spoil the day.
Keeping in spirit with the London Marathon, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar is poised as a brand with a cause that supports several worthy causes throughout the year; raising thousands of pounds for meaningful campaigns through our Asian Achievers Awards. The Awards started in 2000 has raised a million pounds for several creditable campaigns, and aims to set an example for our future generations. Seeing the sheer number of philanthropists in the community, we started the Asian Voice Charity Awards in 2016 to commemorate their work towards shaping up a greater and a more socially positive United Kingdom.
If you have been a part of this iconic Marathon, do send us your pictures and we will publish them in our newspaper and e-paper. Please send in your pictures at [email protected]
