When spirit scored over a weary body

NEW DELHI: The focus of the Delhi Half Marathon has always been on the leading groups, particularly the top three. For a change, HT focused on the slower runners. The first impression one got was though the pre-race anxiety was missing, they had the desire to complete the 21-km race.

After reaching the holding area, one wondered how the friendly bunch would tackle the race, given the fitness levels. The usual bustle associated with leading group was missing, and almost all of them started on a relaxed note, waving to the celebrities who had graced the occasion.

There is always the desire to test one’s endurance, however, one reason or the other had prevented me from exploring uncharted territory.

This time, fitness was below par, but a friend motivated me to participate. We decided to run together but he had to pull out due to an ailment.

Armed with only a couple of training sessions, the longest in the build-up to Sunday was an hour’s practice, the rule book wouldn’t have suggested to start off. One gave it a go with the thought of not attacking but conquering the distance.

Till the 5-km mark, things were fine. Since the pace was slow, it wasn’t taxing on the lungs, but the impact of the road had started to strain the leg muscles.

The body and mind were in sync till the halfway mark, but thereafter it was a battle with the mind as the pace got slower.

“Keep on moving,” one heard at the 16-km mark. Such words always quicken the pace, even if there is the urge to stop.

The finish line was still 5-km away, and looked distant. At that moment, a fellow runner came alongside and whispered, “Do not give up.”

It made the journey easier as I plodded to the finish line.