‘Not all heroes wear capes’!

In the chronicles of marathon history tales abound of tenacious runners who confronted with obstacles unfurl narratives of triumph through their unyielding resolve and remarkable resilienceWhether it is the searing pain in the knees cramps in the leg or side stitches in the stomach everything that comes in the way is met with a stoic embrace transforming each stride into a rhythmic cadence of fortitude They are tales of them soaring high in the sky and after digging deep down into some previously untapped well of courage smashing through on the road to the finish linelsquoIt is a huge risk Forget crossing the finish line there is no way you can even run for 30 minutes Dad What if something really bad happens to you How will I survive Who will take care of me Why do you need to do thisrsquo The barrage of questions showed no signs of abating and so did 42yearold visuallychallenged Mahesh Aroorrsquos appetite to excel in racesWhile training unassisted in 2022 Aroor rammed into a parked car on his training path near Grant Road railway station He needed stitches in his left arm and wondered whether it was worth it to keep running On Sunday as he walked onto the Victoria Terminus to start the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2024 along with his guide and 14yearold son Pritesh he could sense other runners moving around him but only saw blurs of shadow and lightAlthough he has relished crossing the finish line at over 50 marathons to date each race brings some uncertainty he admits ldquoI donrsquot like to say that in front of my son I like to appear very strong because he only has me in this world My wife left me following my accident which was only two years after our son was born I was forced to resign after the incident but took up a teaching job to look after myself and my son Life betrayed me but I found a way to hit back at it through running Running helps me forget all my worriesrdquo Aroor told MidDayEight years ago while Aroor was on his way to work a fatal road accident left him with a head injury that permanently impaired his sight He uses sounds to help guide him through marathons He has never run into anyone during a race he says but takes a hard fall every now and then because he canrsquot see potholes in the roadldquoI have assisted three runners before Aroor Sir Being a runner myself it is a matter of great honour to be able to help othersrdquo said 23yearold Paresh Tewatia as he ran slightly ahead of Aroor pointing out obstacles that could trip up his partnerAlso Read Bronze medal in Mumbai Marathon follows a battle with brain tumour for West Bengals Shyamali SinghBarely a few metres away from Aroor Maithili Sahu took two quick puffs on her inhaler and went about a quarter of a mile before reaching for her inhaler again As the miles ticked away images of her life scrolled through her mind like a virtual scrapbook The longer she ran the deeper it went ldquoWhen Irsquom running I spend a lot of time ruminating That keeps my focus away from the psychological fear of being unable to breathe Overcoming my fear was never easy just like my marriage of 12 years But nothing is permanent not even pain So I have learnt to live with it as long as I canrdquo Sahu 37 says ldquoYou canrsquot hide from the past We get stronger physically only if our minds are strong enough to overcome any miseryrdquoSahu had been 11 seconds in advance at midrace as spectators lining the course many waving Indian flags loudly cheered her on lsquoYou can do it Sahursquo screamed a fewThe homemakerturnedchef was diagnosed with asthma after the birth of her third child five years ago ldquoSports was never in the scheme of things for me I was content with being a housewife but there came a stage where I had no choice but leave my abusive marriage and move on for a better way of living I canrsquot remember a single day when I was not abused but I accepted that as a way of my life 2020 changed my life entirely A year after I left my husband I met an ultramarathon runner and she introduced me to running and life has been amazing ever since Bola na sab thik ho jata hai Told you everything gets better with timerdquo said SahuldquoThatrsquos when I learned the power of running as an effective tool for working through your own emotionsrdquoAsthma attacks and the fear that comes with them have been part of Sahursquos life for as long as she could remember ldquoWhen I was first introduced to running I could not even run continuously for five minutes It felt like someone was smothering me with a pillow I was really scared that if I ever truly ran out of breath I would never recover and die For asthmatics especially it is never easy Winters make it worse for the respiratory tract and can trigger deadly attacks In the summer you have to set off early before the sun is out or the heat will make it too difficult to breatherdquo she said And yet she perseveredAlso Read Will Mumbai Marathon have an obstacle course tooWhen Rosie Varghese was 13 years old her parents took her and her siblings to watch the opening edition of the Mumbai Marathon in 2004 The course ran through their LJ Road neighbourhood in Mahim and Varghese stood on the sidewalk wideeyed with amazement at the runners striding down the street ldquoDid I ever think I would someday run itrdquo she quips ldquoNeverrdquoUnlike Rosie her eldest sister was an active kid jumping into pickup football games and later running track at the public elementary school Then one day she lost her forever ldquoIt was midMay We kids were fooling around in the pool and decided to play a game where the one who could hold his breath for the longest time would be the winner and given five candieshellipbreaking downshe was very fond of candies you knowhellipand she lost her life because of it We all were too young to understand that we lost her forever that day I can and will never forgive myself I could have helped her that day but I didnrsquotrdquo said Rosie tears welling up in her eyesldquoThatrsquos why I began running because it makes me believe that shersquos here with me In the beginning I couldnrsquot run a quarter of a mile but I had made up my mind that Irsquom doing this for my sisterrdquoIn 2018 when her husband asked if she wanted to run the Mumbai Marathon she agreed It was her first race and for a debutant she did really well ldquoAfter that I have never skipped runningrdquoRosie says her athletic pursuits have inspired her daughter now five to set her own goals ldquoI see my sister in her She means the world to me Through her my sister stays with us and will forever be here I hope my daughter can one day make her aunt proudrdquo she said her voice trembling with tears once again