The Runners Corporation

The Pune Marathoners Club is a group of serious runners who participate in marathons around the year

When Pheidippides made his long run from the city of Marathon to Athens,little did he realise that it would change the course of long distance running in modern-day athletics. Marathon running might have become a popular competitive sport,where most people participate for fun or to support causes,but that is not the case with the Pune Marathoners Club. It is about serious training and creating marathon runners who can run the entire length of the race. Founded last year by an American,Michael Francis,the club started with just three members but now boasts of 315 registered members of which around 50 members participate actively.

46-year-old Unmesh Mayekar,who is the current president of the club,says,Michael has a vision of getting more and more people involved in the sport of running. Not only is it a brilliant way to stay fit,but it also de-stresses people, he says. The day-to-day functioning of the club is managed by Mayekar and a core team of eight members who supervise the training schedule and participation in various marathons. The members train four times a week at the Pune Race Course,on Tuesdays,Thursdays,Fridays and Sundays,from 6 am to 7.30 am.

Describing the workout schedule,says Mayekar,Tuesdays are reserved for the short runs,where we take five rounds of the race course,covering 11 kms. Thursdays and Fridays are the sprint workouts of six rounds that add up to 13 kms. The first improves endurance and the other two build our speed,power and agility. Sundays are when we have the long runs,which currently stand at around 28 kilometers in different parts of the city.

The members,since the inception of the club,have participated at the Pune half marathon,Goa half marathon,Mumbai full marathon and the Thane half marathon. The group will also be running the Hyderabad half and full marathons in August,as well as the Ladakh marathon.

To cite an example of the seriousness of the training,he further illustrates,The long runs are done with volunteers and water breaks. We pick different areas and train intensely according to the place. We also increase the distance every week by a couple of kilometres to improve our resistance training, he adds.

The group used to organise a kids run every Saturday till the onset of the monsoons. Mayekar adds that Francis is helping three women train for a miniature version of the Olympic Ironman sporting event. In addition,Michael also plans to do a 24-hour relay run,where the participants will run for an entire day in teams of eight, he says.

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