There’s no better feeling in the world for a runner than to cross the finishing line. But there is more to it, say veteran marathon runners. It is also a great platform to work for a cause. The adrenaline rush one gets by covering kilometers is even higher when one is passionately pursuing a cause that means impact.
The Wipro Chennai Mara-thon 2012 is being organized on December 2 to set many a heart racing. Senthil Kumar, Race Director, says, “Mara-thons help raise funds for a variety of causes. With the help of registration fees and sponsorships, runners are able to contribute to these causes. There are many causes marathons work for, but providing education for underprivileged kids and supporting children with special needs top that list.”
The marathon has partnered with United Way of Chennai, an NGO that works to encourage giving. Four NGOs have registered and Shyamala who works with United Way believes that the spirit of giving needs to be enhanced, which is what makes a marathon really successful. “We have 500 people running for Isha Vidhya. 50 people have signed up to raise ` 1 lakh. The power of running is quite great. “The people at Isha Vidhya, an initiative of the Isha Foundation, couldn’t agree more. The foundation is partnering with the Chennai Marathon for the first time and is hoping to achieve a lot through this endeavor. Isha Vidhya aims to raise the level of education in rural areas in Tamil Nadu and with the help of the marathon; they hope to raise money for scholarships, Additional classrooms and appointing more teachers in schools where there aren’t enough. “We were associated with the Mumbai marathon for the last few years and were able to gather `2 crore through participant registrations and sponsorships,” says Prabhu Loganathan, Fundraising Coordinator for Isha Vidhya. “The support we get from marathons is really great and we hope to create awareness about social causes and charities with the help of such marathons.”
A marathon without a cause is as ineffective as one without its passionate runners. Marathon enthusiast J. Balasubramanian or ‘Bala’, a chartered accountant, believes that one needs to put in a lot of effort to support such causes. Bala says that he will be organizing and participating in 12 marathons with a varying group of runners every day from December 1 to 12 — with proceeds from each marathon being donated to a different NGO. He says. “To mark the special date 12-12-12, I am running to raise money for lesser-known charities. For instance, there is a home in Muthukadu called Paradise Home that supports 65 children who require special attention.
Corporates tend to make businesses out of big marathons and runners pay double the amount to register. I believe in running a measurable distance and paying only once I complete the distance I intended to cover,” he asserts.
source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Tabloid> Chennai / by Shruthi Menon, DC, Chennai / November 21st, 2012