30 X 30 - Fun Run and a real HIGH!

30 X 30 - 30 runners doing a distance of 30 km. Chennairunners came close to doing that yesterday.

Route : Toll booth on ECR to Mahabalipuram

Participants : 24 runners sped away from the start line

Distance : 27.6 km

Thats the running gang at toll booth on ECR, starting point ( Reflecting stickers on every runner's shirt was an nice idea by Ramesh)

We woke up at 2:45 am, met at the in-city assembly points at 3:45 am, drove to the toll booth on the ECR and started off at 5:30 am. Sunday was a perfect day for running - Sun hiding behind the clouds and the cool weather helping the running efficiency ( or energy will be wasted trying to cool down the body ).

Personally, it was a mixed day for me - Ran at a good clip in the first half of the run. Smooth and steady and always had my heart beat under 164 beats per minute ( Averaged 147 beats per minute). Shahid and i ran together during this part of the run and we really cruised along. We did some 16 km in 1 hour and 40 mins, non stop. I stopped at this "support point" to tend to the blister on both my feet - Result of using a "stiff" pair of socks. The volunteers helped with the some band-aids and i started off again. But the run was never the same - i did run/walk cycles here on and finally finished the distance in 3 hours and 37 mins. Was a bit disappointed since i was targeting 3 hours and 10 minute finish.

Volunteers - Aravind, Satish and Abhinav ( and Jaykanthan in his Bullet ) readily volunteered to be our support crew for this run. They loaded Satish's Maruti 800 with water bottles and first aid .

That is the support car, with Satish at the wheels, Abhinav - the other guy at the front and Aravind hiding in the darkness, at the back.

"Mobile support" came to our rescue at 30 min intervals and ensured that the runners never went "dry". Their help with the band-aid for the blisters, was timely for me! They did the difficult task of helping the entire pack - which meant that had to stay with the lead pack who were miles in front and also aid the trailing pack. Hats off guys , for missing your Sunday morning sleep and helping us! and btw, all these guys are regular runners. Aravind and Abhinav have completed a half marathon and Satish has done 3 full marathons and 8 half marathons!!!

We completed the run at Coral Surf Restaurant at Mahabalipuram - These guys at Coral had the best welcome for the runners - Buckets of ice, refreshing towel, a lawn to stretch and space to move around, besides a sumptuous breakfast with Idli, Vada, Masala Dosa and Pongal!!.

Runners enjoyed the hospitality and the experience. Only miss was the "swimming pool"!!
The gang at the Finish line, Coral Surf Restaurant.

Highlights of the run

• 20 Runners finished the distance
• Some guys were so determined to finish the run, despite the physical discomfort they were in. Hats off guys.
• Since we always ran facing the traffic on the right side of the road, we had a "safe" run
• Amazing camaraderie amongst the runners. Always wondered why most sports "teams" displayed this trait which only a few "corporate teams" did.
• Some of the runners finished the race only because they ran/walked in "groups" and pushed each other to reach the finish ! If you want to experience group fun, join the group.
• ECR route beyond toll booth is one of the beautiful routes to run in Chennai with the sea close by and not many people on the roads - Its just you, your thoughts and the sound of your foot steps (or music on the IPOD).
• Fastest runners ( Karthik "kallu" and Hari ) finished the run in 2 hours and 35 mins !!!! Serious running that.

Chennairunners is planning to have this run, once every quarter. Don't miss the run next time!

Thanks to Ram and Satish, for the photos!

More accounts of this run :

Ram on 30 x 30 at Chennai Living.