For this time’s runner of the fortnight we have Chandresh Patel, organiser of the Auroville marathon.
An avid runner himself, he feels that it was only natural to organise a marathon if he wanted to run it!

With the Auroville marathon just around the corner, we interviewed Chandresh about what running means to him, running habits and Auroville and this is what he had to say:


1) Running for you means:
“A time to be by myself, a meditation in motion”. A means to keep the physical body fit, mind and heart in focus. Often these are times when the problems of work, projects and people find their synthetic solutions. At others, thoughts of contemplative nature pass through the mindscape.

2) How many marathons/ half marathons:
Six marathons and six half marathons.

3) You have been running for:
Forever. Not really. But, I started running distances since 1997.

4) Personal bests:
5:00 hours is the best, I usually average between 5 and 5 and a half.
My best for half is 2 hours.
Weather, altitude, temperature etc. have more to do with the time.
Usually I get the first 18 miles good. I have to struggle through the rest depending on various factors.

5) Your favourite running shoes:
I have tried ASICS, Brooks, a few others. I find all of them ok.

6) When did you start running?
I went to school at the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education. Physical education was a rigorous and compulsory part of the curriculum.
I have been running road races since teenage years.

7) Your toughest marathon:
Maui, Hawaii USA. I had trained in Silicon Valley in cool weather and was not ready for the Maui temperature differential. But I have enjoyed all the marathons I have run.

8) If you weren’t running, you’d most likely be:
Playing Basket ball.

9) Your favourite running route:
Auroville forest trails.

10) Favourite running quote:
Today, I just came across this:
Whats a runner's greeting: "Lift your legs"
When you hit the runner's high, you feel you can run forever.

11) Advice to runners out there:
Stretch before and after the run, especially when over 40, and when in cool climes. The goal is an injury free run, have fun.

12) When you’re running uphill on your last lap, my brain is saying:
Easy does it.

13) What do you like listening to while you run:
The sounds of nature.

14) What you don’t tell other runners about yourself:
Don't have too many secrets.

About the Auroville Marathon:

1. Why are you organising the Auroville Marathon?
This is our second year. Last year there were many events to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of Auroville the international city. I wanted to run a marathon in Auroville/ Pondicherry area and I said to myself why not organise one. I have been running several marathons, fundraising for Auroville and Asha before.

It was only natural to organise one if I wanted to run one.

2. How has the response been this year?
Last year we had 70 runners from outside of Auroville region.
Totally 160 participants ran in four categories. Many runners from outside liked the route, the ambience and the route aid-station support. This year we have 275 runners so far. We will probably hit 300+ participants.


3. Has it made a difference inside of Auroville or Pondicherry?
A lot of people enjoyed the marathon/ sports day event last year. This year we will have the marathon and some children's games at the sports ground where we start and finish the marathon.
We hope families and friends come and cheer the runners and spend the morning in the sun, have some breakfast, run around and help the runners and volunteer at the aid-stations.


4. Any further plans for the Auroville marathon?
We will take it year after year. There is a lot of work and a lot of volunteers have to be mobilised to support a marathon event.
There is also the cost of hosting the event which is still not self-funded. We will proceed slowly. There has been increasing support from runners from Chennai, Bangalore and that is very encouraging.

We want to design a large display board for the timing at the finish line for the four run categories. We will also look to setup an online registration database with a client server setup so the registration process becomes more streamlined. We hope to bring in timing chips into future events if possible.