Seems today’s Indians aren’t born to run
WHY have so many Indians hung up their running shoes?
I came to the realisation that there has been a drastic drop in the number of serious runners in the Indian community when I spent the day at the roadside at Camperdown during this year’s Comrades Marathon.
Plonked in a deck chair under a gazebo, I had a panoramic view of the mass of humans pounding the hot tar, hour after hour.
While other spectators along the road settled into the routine of clapping and cheering as men and women of all colours and nationalities went past, I was finding it difficult to get excited.
And then nearly two hours after the first runner had passed, it suddenly happened. It was as if I had spotted a most familiar figure. By some instinct, I jumped up and screamed: “Well done, Chatsworth, well done.”
Some hundreds of runners later, I again became wildly excited. I leapt to the edge of the road and found myself shouting at a man displaying the colours of Woodview Athletic Club: “Well done Phoenix, not far to go now.”
Then I made myself comfortable again, munched on some tasty samoosas, and watched expressionlessly as runners belonging to Hillcrest, Randburg, Sasol, Bloemfontein, Germiston, Savages or Collegians Harriers athletic clubs hobbled past.
No sooner I spotted another runner in the familiar yellow and black athletic vest, I would be up again screaming: “Come on, Chatsworth, go for it.”
It was the same story for runners from Verulam, Tongaat, Shallcross, Stanger and Lenasia athletic clubs. I became madly ecstatic whenever I spotted them in the crowd.
However, my selective cheering was less frequent at this year’s Comrades compared to previous years.
I have picnicked at the Comrades for the past 20 years and can state without fear of contradiction that there has been a definite decline in the number of local Indian runners from previous years. This despite taking into account that many Muslims did not take part as Comrades 2017 coincided with Ramadaan.
Concomitantly there has been a major upsurge in the number of black runners taking part in the Comrades, and more significantly, women.
In 1989, Sam Tshabalala made history when he became the first black athlete to win the Comrades. Before 1975, black runners were barred from participating in the race.
Since 2009, only black athletes have graced the winner’s podium. It just goes to show what the lifting of racial barriers, sponsorship for running gear, proper coaching and good nutrition can do for previously undeveloped athletes. It’s highly unlikely a local white runner will ever taste Comrades victory again.
Coming back to the brothers and sisters from Chatsworth, Phoenix, Laudium and Lenasia: while advancing age is a factor that has caused the number of seasoned Indian runners to wane, young blood has not replaced those who have retired.
In the 1970s, there was a marathon that was run over 50 miles (80km) from Stanger to Durban. The race used to be sponsored by the Kara family of Durban and carried the name Gold Top after the cool drink they bottled in Quarry Road.
Ram Sumer, then in his 30s, was one of the top runners in the community and would be sure to win the Gold Top Marathon, year after year. He also was a repeat winner of the Chatsworth Milk Marathon that would be arranged by the late politician Amichand Rajbansi and also ran the Comrades a good many times.
Now in his 70s, Sumer, from Bayview, Chatsworth, has given up running. But he fondly remembers his glory days when he won numerous marathons and was even dubbed “Ram Jet”. He proudly cherishes his large collection of medals and the scores of newspaper articles that kept track of his running prowess.
While Sumer is thankful that his good health and sheer determination enabled him to enjoy a running career spanning several decades, he decries the apparent lack of interest in longdistance running among the youth of today.
Another veteran runner who is still a household name in the running fraternity is Pietermaritzburg’s Poobie Naidoo.
While he no longer takes part in races, he runs (pun unintended) a well-known sports shop in the capital city and is highly reputed as a running shoe expert.
Naidoo is a former Comrades Marathon Association Board Member who crossed the Comrades finishing line 24 times, with a best performance of an impressive six hours and seven minutes.
In the early 1980s, Naidoo started selling running shoes and sports gear from the boot of his car during his lunch hour while he still worked in the pharmaceutical industry.
His entrepreneurial spirit knew no bounds and before long he had established himself a sizeable customer base because of his fame as a long-distance runner.
Today he and his wife Pat run the sports warehouse with a staff of 30. The shop even has an indoor running track where customers can try on running shoes. Despite his business success, Naidoo remains humble and spends most of his day on the floor dishing out valuable running tips and advice.
He and his wife are also altruistic and sponsor sports kits and sports gear to disadvantaged schools in an attempt to develop sport skills amongst the disadvantaged youth.
Naidoo’s contribution to long-distance running has been recognised by the Comrades Marathon Association which bestowed him with the honour of firing the cut-off gun for the Bronze Medal at the 2015 Comrades Marathon.
Durban accountant Logie Govender completed his 20th Comrades Marathon this year and to celebrate the milestone, he raised sponsorship of R250 000 which he donated to the Chatsworth Hospice.
The likes of Ram Sumer, Poobie Naidoo and Logie Govender are fast fading.
While veteran runners like them have experienced the joys of long-distance running - keeping fit, challenging themselves, enjoying the outdoors and making new friends – young people today seem to have difficulty making the time for this sport.
Rather than sweating it out on running routes during the weekend, younger folk would rather be sweating it out on the dance floor, burning tyres – and money – in drag races, strolling aimlessly through shopping malls, quaffing beers or gorging on mother-in-law’s chicken and prawn curry.
Meanwhile local Indians who have lost interest in running would appear to have got their counterparts in India to serve as proxies for them.
An interesting trend at Comrades is the spike in registrations from the Asian subcontinent. From just one runner from India in 2009, this year saw a record 124 runners mainly from Mumbai, Delhi and Surat at the Comrades starting point.
Mumbai-based Kashyap Mody, a CA with Reliance Industries, said he had given up everything for four months to prepare for the ultimate race.
“Long hours on the road, less hours in bed, a strict diet, injuries and anxieties. But after all the pain and sweat, I wait for the glory,” he said, adding he and his fellow countrymen enjoyed tremendous support from South Africans along the route.
Amit Sheth of Mumbai, Comrades International Ambassador, has been chiefly responsible for the growth in the contingent of runners coming from India.
Over the years, he has inspired, mentored and encouraged hundreds of people to spread the word of the world’s greatest footrace. His book, Dare to Run, which was published in 2010, became a best-seller in India and has helped to motivate people from all walks of life to get into running, and more specifically to come and take up the Comrades challenge. Through book sales, he has donated over R2.5 million for the cancer treatment of underprivileged children at the Tata Memorial Hospital.
The morning after this year’s Comrades, he said he had a nice long cry in his hotel bedroom on Durban’s beachfront because despite his arduous training, he had not run as fast as he had hoped to.
“I was sad and I cried. With all the problems and tragedies in the world, I was worried about my little Comrades time.
“After a good many sobs, I realised that I was crying for not having run a good time, yet not too long ago, I had cried because I had not finished the race.
“Sometimes we have to count our blessings. We have to simply remember that there is always light at the end of the tunnel… even if the tunnel is long and dark and even if it’s a moonless night outside.”
A good lesson here for local Naidoos, Singhs, Patels and Mahomeds.
Time to dust off those running shoes.