Prison Ministry and the Marathon

There are some scenes that you see after a marathon which warms your heart, like these kids who are collectively showing off their medals

or these kids who are having a look at the group selfie that they clicked.

Got the chance to cover a Half Marathon conducted by PMI (Prison Ministry of India) in Pune last Sunday.  

Before the first race was flagged off, there was a warming up session held in which the Zumba group (led by Niharika) whipped up some energy in the otherwise chilly morning.  

I was really impressed by the extra energy of these military boys who really belted it out with Niharika without missing a beat 

 At the end all were ready for that mandatory picture with the Zumba instructor. 

I liked the idea of using bicycles (non pollutants) as the pilot vehicle to guide the participants along the route 

The race in itself was fun to observe, as most of them ran with the motto of ‘taking part’ 

Some of them recognised me and waved out calling my name

Some preferred to walk, while some ran and some were properly wired for music

I did notice one lady running bare foot but could not click her picture.
All the youngsters religiously followed the instructions for the cooling down session. 

Don’t miss the little one in the red cap

There were some prominent people to flag off the race, like Ms Girija Godbole who is a film star and also is an ex student of the same school. 

After the function she readily obliged to pose for pictures. 

Varsha Rajkhowa (Ms Scuba International) was also present and spoke about the environment

There was a big group from the CME

Talking about the CME, I have been in Poona/Pune for more than four decades and have not yet gone inside CME

The whole program was held together by Mr Tarun of Radio One. 

There was some light entertainment going on as the participants had their breakfast. There was a band from Lonavala and some skit put up by the school children, I presume they are from the same school (Loyola) 

Look at the rapt attention of these kids when the dancers performed. 

I have made a small video with whatever I could capture and have split it into two. One is of the Marathon and the other is of the Zumba.   

The prize distribution can be seen in this video.
The breakfast served was hot and sumptuous. I liked the fact that it was not packed food but prepared on the spot.

Some random pictures 

Cycling for Health

It was good to see the happy atmosphere even before the sun was up. Some parents (and grand parents) came to drop off their kids while others were busy clicking group pictures 

Some helped in putting the tag numbers on the cycle the right way.

Took part in a cycle rally where the distance to be covered was 20 kms and the turn out was pretty good.

All waiting in anticipation for the flag off, which got slightly delayed, probably waiting for the dignitaries to arrive. 

One of the participants had his blood group and emergency number printed on his Tee shirt. I think that is a better option than having a card in the pocket.

Finally we were flagged off and all took off in earnest with the younger ones going off in full steam. 

I managed to capture a few clips while pedaling and it was amusing to see some sights, like this guy cruising along with a helping hand from his friend. 

There were running events too taking place on the same track (for 5 kms and 10 kms) and as the roads were taken up, we had to manoeuver through the side walks. If the shadows are pretty long then you can be sure that you are out at the right time in the morning for pedalling and jogging. 

This dog must be pretty confused "where are these guys running to on a good lazy Sunday morning" 

Saw some good samaritans helping a participant fix his stuck chain.

This guy who handed out the water bottles was generous with his smile. (passed him twice as we had to do two laps to cover 20 kms)

Talking of water bottles, I saw most of the participants chucking away the empty bottles on the road. It would have helped if the organisers had placed dustbins at strategic places en route. This is not only about participation but an opportunity to inculcate the right habits of disposing trash. 

The scenic beauty of the place was good and added to the spirit of the occasion. 

While overtaking this guy I cheered him saying "good show, keep it up"  He was quick with a smile and a thumbs up.

While crossing the finish line I noticed that the time was 8.45 which means I must have taken about 80 minutes to cover 20 kms. Well it was not a race but participation was the key word.

Later I was told that Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal had flagged off our event, but like me, many must have failed to notice them as the flagging off box was placed a little too high. Later I saw Mary Kom flagging off another event for kids.

Made a short video of all that I captured.

The mandatory group photos by the successful participants