MY
AIRTEL DELHI HALF MARATHON EXPERIENCE
: Binod
Tamang
Roshni Di (Di means
elder sister) provided me with sponsorship from China's "Z-LINK
BIOTECH" for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM) held on the 20th of
November 2016. I was happy to be granted permission by my school to
participate in this Marathon.
I finished ADHM by covering 21.097 kms in 1 Hour 17 min. & 57 Secs. , thus securing the 8th position in the race. I was quite disappointed and unhappy with my performance as I had trained very hard for this event. My actual target was to finish it in a timing of 1 hour and 12 mins but while running I developed an acute pain in my stomach which slowed down my speed and I couldn't finish at my targeted timing.
Three months prior to the Marathon, Roshni Di had given me a T-shirt provided by China's Z Link Biotech exclusively for this marathon as we had to wear the required gear for the run. Di gave me the T-shirt in Kalimpong Supermarket around 5 PM in the evening following which I went directly for a Haircut to a nearby salon. I had to wait for my turn so I kept my T-shirt aside on a chair and started reading a magazine. When my turn came, I kept the magazine and T-shirt in the same place and sat down for my haircut. When done, to my absolute horror, I found my T-shirt missing from the place I had kept it in. I asked the barber and he told me that may be a student from Rockvale Academy had taken it. I ran towards the school Hostel which was about a km away from there. I found the gate locked as it was already very late. Luckily, I saw a boy inside the gate and requested him to look for my T-shirt and to please bring it back if he could. I also promised him a reward of Rs.100. Fortunately, after waiting for almost an hour, he managed to find my T-shirt and bring it back to me. I was so relieved. I returned home at around 9:30 PM after all this hullabaloo.
On the 4th of November, there was a 6kms Road race at a nearby place called Mansong. I participated there too. As my Z Link Biotech Tshirt was very conformable for running I wore the same on the day of the race. I secured 1st position in the race with timing of 18 Min 7 sec. I was tired after the race so I went back home and slept without unpacking my bag and checking whether all my gear was there. Next morning, when I woke up and opened my bag, to my horror I again found that by now very important to me T-shirt missing from the bag. I somehow managed to borrow my friend's Bike and frantically went to search for it around 15 kms away to Mansong. I was very sad and also very scared thinking about how to face Roshni Di, if I don’t find the T-shirt. Miraculously, I found the Tshirt at the friend’s home in Munsong, where I had stayed for a night before the race day. I was so relieved and ecstatic to lay my hands on my beloved Tshirt once again.
Five of us runners and Roshni Di moved from Kalimpong on 16th November at around 9 AM. We boarded our train from NJP station to Delhi at around 2: 30 PM. It was a good experience to travel with a person like Roshni Di from whom we get to learn a lot about running and about a host of other important subjects. We reached New Delhi at midnight and went directly to Jawaharlal Stadium where our accommodation and other necessary arrangements had been arranged for.
After the Marathon, we were given a wonderful opportunity to meet our most gracious and Honorable MP (Member of Parliament for Darjeeling) Sri.SS.Ahluwaliaji. We met GTA Chief Mr. Bimal Gurung and Mr. Roshan Giri too. It was a memorable moment for me for which I will always be grateful for to Roshni Di.
Last but not the least, I would like to offer my everlasting gratitude to Z-LINK BIOTECH for sponsoring me to participate in ADHM 2016. With the help and guidance of Roshni Di we are getting so many opportunities to run at various prestigious Marathons across India for which I shall be ever grateful to her. I hope and pray that she will keep guiding us like this in the future too. Thank you Roshni Di, thank you China's Z Link Biotech. Thank you
No comments:
Post a Comment