Marathon Man: 52-yr-old gears up for another run

This year's Gandhinagar half marathon is the capital's first race of its kind. One aspect of the run that is worthy of mention is the introduction of web casting of the live race. However, participation by 52-year-old Piyush Shah in the half marathon is also something that calls for attention.

Piyush Shah was the first participant to register for the 21-km race. He has taken part in several marathons in India and abroad.

Grey haired Shah may look like a senior citizen nearing retirement, but he has quite a few achievements to his name. And, says Shah, he promises to continue adding more to it.

Shah has participated twice in the Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi and Vadodara marathons. Moreover, he has also participated in the 'ultra marathon' (100 kms) held in Singapore. Shah told DNA:  "I have successfully finished all the marathons in which I participated and have received certificates of completion for this."

When Shah turned 38, his inclination towards walking (as an activity) surfaced. Since then he wanted to focus on his health.

 "As I was nearing the age of 40, I wanted to do something for my health as I wished to remain fit for long. Hence, in1998, I started walking in earnest," he said.

The walk gradually became so serious an affair that Shah decided to walk every month to a temple in Rupal village near Gandhinagar, covering a total of 38 kms from Ahmedabad.

So then how did participation in the marathon happen? Shah replies, "While I continued walking on a daily basis, and used to visit our temple in Rupal village, I witnessed the Delhi half marathon in 2005, whose winner completed the 21-km run in 80 minutes. This inspired me to take part in marathons as well. I knew that I took 5.5 hours to walk to our temple in Rupal, which is 38 kms away. I thought I should practice a bit if I were to participate in the marathon."

Shah claims that till date he has walked more than 35,000 km. Every week he covers some 80 kms.

A professional in the electrical consultant industry, Shah is determined to complete the Gandhinagar marathon. "I have been practicing from April for the Gandhinagar half marathon and will surely complete it," says this 'Marathon Man.