A One-Armed runner, Govind Kumar Kharol, will be the pacer for the 21-km (half-marathon) distance at the Tata Mumbai Marathon on Sunday, January 18. Gritty Govind will be leading or pacing the 2 hours 10 minutes bus (2:10) for the distance. In marathon lingo, a `bus` refers to a group of runners following a `pacer` or pacemaker leading a group to finish within a specified target time.  He is also a motivator for the group.

There can be nothing more motivating than seeing a differently-abled person turning a disability into a strength. Kharol, who is from Udaipur (Rajasthan) has done just that. He said, “I was born with one arm. I do not have a right arm. I have a left arm. My left hand has only two fingers.” Kharol, who has four siblings, said that as he was born without an arm, he got used to doing things with one upper limb from an early age. “I knew I was `different`. Yet, I chose not to let disability define me or dictate the course of my life,” said the 35-year-old.