Running in Chennai - When, What, Where, How?

Many people have asked me about running in the city of Chennai, and I've tried to give them the right information. In this article, I thought of putting down my thoughts on this subject - I hope it will be useful for many in the days to come.

THE CITY OF CHENNAI

Firstly, I'd like to give a little information about the city of Chennai. Chennai is located in the state of Tamilnadu in India. Chennai is a pretty big city and is one of the metros in India. The climate is more tropical and the temperatures average at about 30 degrees Celsius annually. The humidity averages at about 70% and the day gets pretty busy by about 7:30AM. The traffic is pretty high during the day time with the peak hours being 8:30AM-11:30AM and 5:00PM-7:30PM. The atmosphere gets pretty polluted...especially during the peak hours.

The roads in the city are pretty wide in most places, but you are sure to bump into some pot-holes in many roads. The city enjoys summer from early-March to mid-August in reality with the peak summer falling somtime in the second half of May. Temperatures during summer can average at 37 degrees Celsius, and can go as high as 44 degrees Celsius during the peak season (second half of May). The city enjoys rainfall from mid-September to early-December (or late-November), and the roads get pretty much flooded with puddles of water. The winter season is during the months of December to early-February, when the temperatures can fall as low as 20 degrees Celsius.

RUNNING IN CHENNAI

Chennai is a city that loves sports of all kind. The city has one of the best cricket teams with equal excellence in the sports of football, hockey, kabaddi and field atheletics. Running has been a much appreciated sport with a big number of atheletes into short distance running. There are big organizations like the YMCA and SDAT which have extended unrelenting support to this sport through the years. Chennai Runners is the biggest running club in the city, and with more than 600+ members, this club has been doing extensive running programs ever since 2006. I strongly urge you to visit www.chennairunners.com to know more.

As you would have guessed by now, Chennai is pretty tropical and humid most part of the year. Should you want to run in the city, I strongly urge you to carry a bottle of water or a fuel-belt. With the sun up and shining by 7AM, I strongly urge you to do early morning runs. Ideal time to start your run will be at about 4:30AM or 5:00AM, if you plan to do longer distances (>10-15kms). Also, use a good non-greasy sun block (with SPF of 30+) is advisable to avoid su burns. Chennai also has a lot of stray dogs, but with an increasing number of runners hitting the asphalt, these dogs seem to have got used to seeing people run and hence don't get into your way!

In terms of the apparel, a good running tee that breaths is something that will keep you cool and comfortable during your run. A dry-fit tee is what I would strongly recommend. With the city traffic being high, it's a good practice to run on the right side of the two-way roads...against the traffic. Should you want to find out good running routes, do visit www.chennairunners.com. Also, if you are looking for a group to run with, you should join the Chennai Runners' Google Group and get updates on our regular runs!

Keep Running 'n' have Fun! Stay Fit 'n' Healthy!

Chennai Runners presents Running Plus!!

Time has come to relive your dreams...
It's time to brush shoulders with some serial marathoners in this part of the country...
You need not wait more to talk to a sports doc about your fitness related queries...

Chennai Runners proudly presents Running Plus, a first of a kind Running Clinic in the city of Chennai! Details about this event can be found here. Do give me a holler if you need more details..

A larger picture of the above invite can be seen here.
If you are in Chennai on 10th Jan 2009, do come over!

Chennai Runners is back on The Hindu!

Oh yes, we are back on The Hindu. Prince Frederick from The Hindu was with us last Sunday to talk to us about our group and our plans for the upcoming Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. Below is the paper view of today's article. You can find an online version of the same here.

Chennai Runners on Chennai Live 104.8FM!!

It was indeed a special moment for Chennai Runners yesterday. Though we've been on many printed media publications (from newspapers to magazines), it was the first time we were ON AIR! Yes, in light of the ECR8 that we are organizing tomorrow, Chennai Live 104.8 FM, a part of the Muthoot Group invited us to their studio in Egmore, Chennai, for a talk show.

This group launched Chennai Live in July this year. The most unique aspect of this FM station is the fact that they are more focused towards rendering 'theme-based' programs to the Chennaiites. They have this morning breakfast show where they do a 'theme-based' talk show with noted personalities on the phone line and the RJ (Radio Jockey) facilitates a discussion around a subject.

Shahid, Hari and myself went to their studio at about 3PM yesterday. We were welcomed by an every-smiling Sonali, who hosted the show for us. I must admit one thing - hosting a radio show is not a joke! Yes, Sonali perfected the art of talking and more importantly 'steering the discussion' in the way she wanted it to proceed. We spent over an hour and a half at their studio, but it felt like a very short time.

After a cup of coffee, Sonali lead the three of us into the studio where we were welcomed by the sound engineer (he does a real good job with those bunch of gadgets in the studio!). We were made to sit on one side of the table, while Sonali and the engineer took their seats in the studio 'cockpit' (ah...its the name I gave...looking at the bunch of mixers and other controls). After a brief about how the show would go on and an explanation of the 'technical terms' that's used to denote a break and a recording, Sonali started off the show.

Pretty much in line with my expectations, the show was more like a talk show. We ended up having a lot of short conversations (which is termed as a 'link' in their parlance) which were recorded. We had longer conversations between these 'links' which was more of an informal chat. The show was centered around the ECR8 Run that we are organizing tomorrow on the ECR Road (starting from Mayajaal). We covered almost everything we wanted to - from the ECR8 to our history to our vision, we covered every single topic in this show (Yes, we did even talk about the 'runners and the dog chase' problems!!).

We really missed Ram, KK, Vidyuth and others on the show. It would've been a lot more fun to have you guys in the same room yesterday. Personally, I loved this experience of being on a talk show at Chennai Live 104.8's radio station. I've longed for this experience ever since I've heard the shows on AIR (All India Radio) 15+ years ago. Overall, it was a very good and a pleasant experience!

See you tomorrow at the ECR8!! As always, Stay Inspired!

ECR8 - You better Run!

Have you started to plan for the weekend? Wondering how to spend the weekend differently? Are you one of those who loves to meet people and indulge in some physical exercise? If the answer is a 'yes' to these questions, then ECR8 is for you!

We at Chennai Runners are organizing the 8th East Coast Road Run (nicknamed ECR8) on the 19th October on the East Coast Road. Here are the details of the event -
Date: October 19, 2008 (Sunday)

• Start Time: 5:15 am

• Start point: On Shore resort inside the Mayajaal compound

• End point: On Shore resort inside the Mayajaal compound

• Assembly time: 4:30 am

• Events: 5K, 10K, 15K, 20K, 25K, 30K, 35K

The registration fee is Rs.250 which will include a buffet breakfast at Mayajaal, Gatorade while you run, Aquafina mineral water, bananas. You can do a pre-registration here. We have a complete medical support system and ambulances that will ply through the course, so you are going to feel totally safe!

Apollo DKV has come forward to be the 'Associate Sponsors' for this event, and Gatorade is our 'Hydration Partner'.

So, what's still stopping you? All you need to do is to set your alarm to reach Mayajaal on the Sunday morning and enjoy the experience! We believe in the fact that running is fun, and I'm sure you'll feel the same too!

Chennai Marathon 2008 - It Happened Today...

The Chennai Marathon finally happened today. I've never seen a crowd as big as this in Chennai ever before! There were loads of runners at both, the half-marathon starting point and the 7-kilometer race starting point. The latter was filled with more school and college kids. With my injured knee, the only thing I could (and wanted) to do was to cheer my Chennai Runners team. They were all there when I went there at 6:05AM, ready for நம்ம சென்னை run.

The drizzle at about 5:30AM played the spoil-sport. The weather got very humid, and I expected the run to be a taxing one (looks like it indeed was so). As I'd forgotten to take my camera with me, I resorted to using my mobile's camera. It's only today that I realized that Nokia E90 indeed has a really good camera! Below are some pictures...



Overall, the crowd was good. For the rest of the news, do check out www.ChennaiRunners.com shortly.

Update: From feedbacks received so far, I understand that this event was not well organized. Moreover, a 21 year-old runner apparently died in this run.

Update: Here is the link for the news on this unfortunate event.

Update: I understand that there was no adequate refreshments provided for runners. Sad to see such an unprofessional organization.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Chennai Half-Marathon - Round 'D' Corner!

I'm happy to see the Marg Chennai Marathon pulling great attention from the media and the people of Chennai. Infact, it's the first time that my parents asked me "Is there a marathon happening in Chennai on 31st Aug?" They have not asked the same question when the Chennai Marathon was held in Fedbruary this year. I'm also happy to see that the organizers Marg and Tamil Maiyyam, have taken a lot of care in putting together a good website.

All said and done, it still makes me wonder why the organizers call this a marathon, as the maximum distance it offers to the runners is just that of a half-marathon. There has been a lot of questions from friends, relatives and readers on what is a marathon distance. And, it took me a lot of time to explain to these people - what is a marathon distance and what is the maximum Marg Chennai Marathon distance. I just wish we could call this something else...say Chennai Half-Marathon? Organizers! What do you say?

Well, still, I give all credits to the organizers for having successfully created a buzz around the city. I'm waiting to see how the run goes off. We have more than 50 runners from Chennai Runners participating in this run. I'm not running because of a serious left knee injury. With another 3 days to go, I certainly do see a lot of people getting prepared to hit the asphalt on the D-Day. Good Luck to everyone...especially those First-Timers who have made up their mind to start a healthy life!

Run Chennai, Run!

Chennai Marathon curtain raiser on 24th August

Chennai Runners is doing a curtain raiser to Chennai Marathon tomorrow. You can find the details as below. If you are running the Chennai Marathon, and looking to share some pre-race tips or get some from seasoned marathoners and runners, do make it a point to come over and run with us. We will also be doing car pooling from Dimensions Gym. If you want a ride, pl. assemble near Dimensions by 4:30 AM sharp.

We are expecting some media coverage tomorrow of our run. (from The Hindu)

Date: August 24, 2008
Assemble by : 5.00 a.m
Start Time: 5.15 a.m (sharp - We got to start at this time to minimize exposure to chaotic traffic and resultant pollution).
Starting Location: Elliots Beach (Near Cozee Corner / Police Outpost)
Route: Chennai Runners - Elliots Half Marathon (Pl. browse the link and familiarize yourself with the route.. straight forward one..)
Distance - The total distance is about 21.1 kms but you do what you are able to.. and remember.. you can always Do More but for that you need Start Running

My first half-marathon @ Chennai Marathon 2008

Dear Reader,
If you are looking for the MARG CHENNAI MARATHON happenings, READ THIS ARTICLE!

Best,
Karthik
Updated on Aug 2008

Finally, the Hero Ultra Chennai Marathon did happen! Contrary to my expectations, the marathon was far well organized. Shahid, Ramesh and I had planned to park our vehicles near Dimensions Gym in Abhiramipuram and run to the starting point at Anna Square on the beach road.Ram had the gut feeling that we should be able to park our cars near the lighthouse and easily pull out incase we decide to drop out of the run.

We parked our cars in the inner road near the lighthouse in Marina Beach and walked to the starting point (Anna Square). We, from Chennai Runners, were a sizable gang (about a dozen of us) at the race. The marathon pretty much started on time at 7AM. The half-marathon was flagged-off at about 7:15AM. The marathon was jointly sponsored by Hero Ultra, and they had their electric scooters that were plying through the course of the run.

As for me, this marathon was my first half-marathon and completed the race in 2 hours and 28 minutes. I was not too happy with the timing though. At around the 12-14th kilometer, I was desperately looking for a restroom. Not being able to find one, I was distracted and eventually had to cut down on my speed. After that I could never get back to the pace that I started with. I was averaging at 11Kmph (about 6.8mph) till the 12-13th kilometer. The brief spells of drizzle was a blessing. The last 30minutes was however very challenging as the sun was up and my legs were feeling the burn very badly.

The player version of my Motionbased trail can be found here.

After I crossed the finish line, I could feel the tiredness taking over and ended up taking a couple of bottle drinks (Limca) and treated my legs with cold mineral water. It felt like heaven.

Overall, the marathon was organized well (from what I had expected). The traffic was kept under control during the entire course of the marathon. Hero Ultra did manage to successfully advertise their new electric two-wheeler. It looks really good and also it is silent, and more importantly, its eco-friendly!

Net-Net, some points about this event -

The Good-

• Started on time (7:05AM)
• There were water points!
• Emergency staff (with Ambulances) were plying all through the half-marathon event
• Traffic was kept under control during the course of the half-marathon
  

The Bad-

• No enough water points (they were present for every 5kms!)
• No cheering from the crowd or the organizers (though the volunteers kept whizzing in the Hero Ultra scooters)
• No ice tubs present at the finishing point
• No refreshments present for the finishers - Not even water!
  
• Only participation certificates were given (Apparently, the person distributing the certificates asked me "How many do you want?")
• No timing on certificate (it did not even have my name!)
  

Special thanks to Ram for taking a lot of pictures of the team, event and me :)

My body is now sore, and I hope to recover in two days. I just hope to get back on track for the Auroville Marathon thats happening next Sunday (17th February, 2008). Will Karthik do it? Can Karthik do it? Wait for more updates..!

2008 is going to be a 'Running Year'

This year is going to be a special year to me as far as running is concerned. I've decided to make two things happen -

1. Burn the road everyday! - Yes, I've decided to burn the road and clock an average of 40 Kilometers (approx 25miles) a week
2. Complete atleast one marathon - Singapore Marathon is for sure. I've still not decided the second one
3. Complete as many half-marathons as possible (running the Chennai Runners' Classic Route itself is a half-marathon)

I've been averaging at 31.726 kilometers per week so far.

There is a section "My Runs on MotionBased" on the right side on the right side of my blog, that will have links to all my latest runs. Should you be interested in joining me during my runs, do send me an email. If you are a Chennaiite or if you are one of those people who frequents Chennai, I invite you to join Chennai Runners.

Regular running increases your physical and mental fitness levels(or, call it the Bodymind) and also aid you in cultivating ultimate self-discipline and self-control, which are some of the keys to success in every sphere of life!

Have a great day...!

Chennai Runners' Third ECR Run

It was 2:45AM and the alarm went off on my mobile! Being a guy who normally puts the alarm on a snooze, it was a contrast today - I was bright and active at 2:50AM! Having mentally prepared for the 30Kms run, it was just the reaction expected of me. Left home at 3:30AM and drove down to Dimensions gym, where we Chennai Runners planned to meet up and car pool to the ECR Toll Booth (which was our planned start point for the run).

It was 4:05AM and we started our drive to the ECR Toll booth. Ram joined me in the early morning drive and we reached the destination just in time at 4:30AM. Having done our pre-run conditioning, we got prepared for the BIG Run! Vidyuth briefed the volunteers of their modus operandi. We began our run at 5:00AM sharp, after Ram and Hari briefed the runners of safety instructions.

It was pitch dark on the ECR road with no street lights at all! I started off in full swing and managed to stay up to my expectations for about 15Kms. Rupert, Hari and Shumit whizzed past in the very beginning and were the leading runners. Ram and Ashvini were the others to go past me later followed by Anuj and Abhijit. I did not wear my iPod and it was a nice experience in the morning....enjoying the sound of silence and insects and the sight of darkness all around us.

There was a point at about 10-12Kms when I was kind of running out of mental fuel. KK came to my rescue with his company and some motivating words. We chugged on for a kilometer and a half, and then KK went on his own. It was then when I bumped into Rajesh. That was the beginning of a wonderful experience - Pushing the limits! Me and him kind of pushed each other's limits in a very unique way. Initially we walked for about 800meters. Then he started to jog...I continued to walk. Then he started to walk....and I started to jog to get past him. So this activity continued all the way to Mamalla, and we made it to our destination! We actually went past our destination by a kilometer and then realized we missed out. But to our pleasant surprise, we had our dear friends Mr. Ravikrishnan and Mrs. Savithri Ravikrishnan, who volunteered help through the entire run and gave us a ride back to Mamalla Resorts. Thanks to you Mr. & Mrs. Ravikrishnan!

Puffing and panting...and a sigh of relief and achievement were some of the expressions that was found in most of our faces when we gathered at Hotel Mamalla Resorts (about 3 kms before Mahabalipuram). It was Bliss!

Some lessons learnt/observations:

1. Running on the roads where there is a curve/bend in the road is slightly challenging. The banking on the road puts uneven pressure on the knees
2. Running is a Mind Game, and not just a Game of Physical Fitness!
3. Camaraderie can take a team a very long way. Run as a team and reap the benefits!
4. If you feel tired after a 10-15K during a 30K run, try doing Power Walking or just keep chugging on without lifting the feel much off the ground. It helps!
5. Take an energy drink like 100 Plus or Gatorade with you in a bottle/fuel belt. It can push you thrice the distance as much as what plan water can
6. Arm and shoulder movement helps propel your body ahead and helps you shove through the wind blowing in the opposite direction
7. Be Positive! Never think you will get injured...the very thought might injure you!

Find today's run on MotionBased here and here.

You can also find some good running routes in Chennai on the right hand side of my blog, under "My Running Trails".

Happy Running!

Chennai Runners on India Today!!

This is our (Chennai Runners') second media coverage, and I must admit - It was a fabulous experience doing those shoots with the India Today team! Below is a scanned copy of the India Today article that appeared in the "Simply Chennai" section..




Join us to know what keeps us running!!

Happy Running!

ECR Marathon . July 15th 2007 . 30 kilometers

Fellow Runners...

Game to do a 30K marathon? How about running alongside the Bay of Bengal? Sounds interesting?
If so, here is something for you. We, at Chennai Runners, are organizing a 30K marathon on the 15th July. This is going to start from ECR Toll Gate and continue till Mahabalipuram.

For more information on this, please watch this space. You can optionally get information from my blog too.

Stay Tuned!

Chennai Runners . The Hindu . Caught in the act!

The Hindu featured Chennai Runners in action!

We had The Hindu meeting us yesterday at Anna University, after our regular Sunday 15K run down our Classic Route. Here are some pictures of the team we took yesterday at Anna University:

(Above)From L to R: Jayakanthan, Ram,Anbu, Ravi, Sundar, Shahid, Karthik (me), Senthil, Hari and KK

Run is fun!

Running . Chennai Runners . News

Chennai Runners in the news. This is something we've been trying to do, to spread the message of Running, and the inherent fun associated with it. There has been a lot of questions and opinions on why we need to hit the news. Here are my mentations on the 'need' for media support.

What is our mantra?

1. We want to spread a message - The fun in running, for a reason - Healthy living
2. We underpin the message with our activity - Running
3. We want more people to consciously think of running as a daily routine

How do we make Chennai chant the mantra of "Healthy Living"?

1. Reach out to people living across the length and breadth of the city
2. Accomplish the above by running in different parts of the city - Chennai Runners tshirt and caps will help here
3. Why do we want to spread "Chennai Runners" group, than just running? - Running, if done without prior experience, can lead to injuries. We offer support and mentoring to people who want to start running
4. How serious are we with running and this message? - Nike supports us! That itself speaks a thousand words
   
5. How do we spread this mantra, and our existence? - Media comes to play here

What is in it for the media? Why cover/ support us?

1. They get to spread a very good message
2. They get to advertise their brand
3. The sponsors (which the media will garner) will get to advertise with a message that they support a cause

What is in it (media coverage) for us?

1. We want to do a long run, and we need logistic support (water, refreshment, etc)
2. We get to spread a message (the core reason why we started to run - Fun filled way to stay healthy)
3. We are also supporting a bunch of kids who run at the SDAT (Sports Development Authority of Tamilnadu) grounds - Media relations can help us highlight the efforts put in by these kids - which will helps us get them into a decent educational institute

Net-Net, run is fun....but we want many more Chennaiites to realize (and practice) this. We want these poor kids to get something noteworthy out of this exercise.

Lets run and lets make Chennai run with us..
Lets get ahead and lets help these kids get ahead..

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Dear Reader,

Should this (fun-filled running) interest you, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me, or visit our website. Lets have fun, and live a healthy life!

Cheers!

Karthik
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Chennai Runners all set to go!

We at Chennai Runners have finally come out with our poster. Here is a copy for the internet readers. I greatly appreciate if you could pin a copy of this poster @ your office notice boards too! (Please buzz me incase you need any help)

0 to 21.1 km in 7!

No, I'm not going to talk about a race bike. Its about the man who did a half marathon from "Zero running " in 6-7 weeks...

Yes, thats Ravi for you. Works in a company that I used to work for. Runs with a team that I am a part of. Runs like a seasoned marathoner who has completed a dozen marathons. It was my first long run on Sunday, the 27th May 2007, after a respite of more than a month. I was almost felt like a tyro to running. This was when I met Ravi, a soft spoken enthusiastic runner.

Not having run for a long time, I thought of picking up someone who would give me company through the run. I thought Ravi was the right choice, as I knew he was quiet new to the group. The run began and I couldn't make after about 6kms.....Ravi was far ahead of me. I quit the decided route and did my quota at the Anna University grounds and got back to our starting point at CP Ramasamy road. Was surprised to see Ravi reach the spot in 1.5 hours - covering 8miles! That was an amazing timing!

This is when I realized that Ravi had completed the Bangalore Midnight Marathon just over a week back. He had never run before in his life. He joined the team and also completed his first half marathon (esp. a Midnight Marathon) in 2.5 Hours in just a few months time!

Running is sheer Fun. A fun-filled activity to stay fit!

If you've ever thought that running is for the PT Ushas or Michael Johnsons, its time you gave it another thought! It is indeed for anyone who wants to have fun!

The spirit of running is not only in marathons or races, its also in the short errands to the store next street! Think about it!

Chennai Runners now runs on the Internet!

Yes, Chennai Runners has started to run on the internet - We have our own website!!

Chennai Runners is a group of enthusiastic and fun loving runners (beginners to marathoners!). We do weekly runs in the southern part of Chennai and also unique Friday "Fun Runs" in a place that is located in central Chennai.

No...we are not kidding! Nike and FitnessOne have come forward to support us in spreading the message of running to stay fit...and ofcourse the Fun in our Run!

For more information on what we do and how we do, do check out our website at www.ChennaiRunners.com

Run! Thats the easiest way to stay Fit!