Bhaag Bharat, bhaag!

It is waka waka yeah yeah this time for South Africa India has scored a Comrades kayo contingent wise The country has clocked the largest ever international participation for South Africarsquos Comrades Ultramarathon an event thatrsquos dubbed ldquothe ultimate human racerdquo India is sending 403 runners including 40 women for the June 11 runAn Ultra is any race longer than the traditional marathon distance of 422km In The Comrades runners have to finish a distance of 90 km within 12 hours The race starts from the Pietermaritzburg City Hall and ends at the Kingsmead Stadium in DurbanldquoRunners will race in the footsteps of historyrdquo said Subhash Motwani marathoner and supporter at a get together held last week at Comrades runner Dr Anand Patilrsquos Dadar residence before several runners emplaned for the Rainbow Nation Motwani explained ldquoIn 1893 Mahatma Gandhi was travelling in a firstclass train compartment in Pietermaritzburg He was ordered to move to a third class compartment when a white man objected to his presence Gandhi refused as he had a valid ticket He was booted from the train the seeds of Satyagraha were sown That is the spirit of the Comrades imbued with history and the ultimate test of mind body and spiritrdquoHistory aside there is topography to consider too The route has lung searing inclines and some descents making it very challenging Dr Patil walks a dexterous tightrope between medical practice and running The trauma surgeon told midday ldquoWhen I ran my first Comrades in 2012 the Indian contingent was 13 strong After 10 years the number has multiplied almost 30 times thatrsquos a participation explosion to be proud ofrdquoIt was an emotionally charged morning at Dr Patilrsquos home but effervescent too There was plenty of goodnatured ribbing for single man Satish Gujaran who is all set to run his 12th Comrades and is married to running for all practical purposes The Mulund resident who is consultant director at a private company said ldquoI ran my first Comrades in 2010 The process of running became a metaphor for life Increased airfare logistics and registration fees never dampen the spirit of Indian runnersrdquo he said referring to the number this time compared to six Indian runners when he startedThe Consul General of South Africa HE Andrea Kuhn was besieged by runners with ldquolongterm visardquo requests when she met them at Patilrsquos home Kuhn said in her address ldquoI am humbled and touched to see the numbers You bring meaning to the word Comradesrdquo Kuhn had the room in splits as she looked at Gujaran and remarked ldquoThis time at the 60 km mark of the race I suggest you stop and look at the ladies cheering the runners onrdquoThe living room erupted in cheers as lsquoKPrsquo as he is called by the fraternity made an entrance Krishna Prakash Indiarsquos Endurance Man in uniform cureently posted as Additional Director General ADG of Police and Director Force One the elite counterterrorism unit will be running his first ever Comrades The top cop who spoke about juggling professional duties with training said ldquoThe roads are the greatest leveller When you train the body is fit the senses are in equilibrium and soul is purerdquo He brought a philosophical twist to a fun morning by reciting a poem eliciting wahwahs I am not in want of flowers but I am not afraid of the thornsA cake was cut Mumbairsquos missal pav was the breakfast dish of choice as the morning wound down to Prakash encouraging the runners families and friends to shout with him ldquomushkil waqt Comrades sakhtrsquo From Dadar Mumbai 28 to Pietermaritzburg South Africa 403 desi runners 90 km and the clock ticking at 12 hours the josh is high for the ultimate human race255Zimbabwersquos contingent strength the second highest after India224UK173USA142Brazil