Roshni all set for comrades marathon

Roshni all set for comrades marathon 

 KalimNews, Kalimpong 1 May: 2nd Friendly Group Long Run was organised by Himalayan Marathon Runner Association from Coronation Bridge near Sevoke along the NH 31A to Pedong via Kalimpong town in the district of Darjeeling on 1st May, 2012. Four runners of Mumbai and Bangalore Kripa Sagar, Srinivas Ramanujam, Vishwanathan Jayaraman and Manoj Haveri along with Roshni Rai the marathon queen popularly known as Pedong Express ran the 65+ distance. It started at 5 am from Coronation bridge. Manoj, Roshni and Viswanathan covered the 65+ run while Kripa and Srinivas completed 45+ run. 

Viswanathan ran the complete run barefoot. Viswanathan Jayaraman Manoj Haveri 2nd friendly group long run was organised as a practice run for Roshni to enable her run the Comrades marathon to be held in 3 June 2012. Her current training for the 90 kilometre Comrades Ultramarathon in South Africa does reflect her blitzkrieg chase which precedes her explanation. Her reaction may leave some perplexed. There are people like Roshni who associate an event with a cause. Roshni Rai, a Gorkha from Darjeeling, plans to highlight the “identity crisis” of her community by using the Comrades Marathon as a platform. Early this year she raised funds for 23 Gorkha participants from Darjeeling at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon by creating awareness about their ethnic identity among her friends in Mumbai. 

 Roshni with Viswanathan and others Rai has qualified for the Comrades and she sees a connect between its origins and the Gorkha story. The Comrades Marathon was founded by Vic Clapham, a soldier during World War I, who decided to conduct this endurance event in honour of fellow soldiers who died during a 1,700-mile march in the eastern savannahs of Africa. “I’m running to highlight the identity crisis of Gorkhas in India,” Rai says. “The Comrades has an inspiring history. When I run there, it will be a tribute to all the Gorkhas who have died for India.” Kripa Sagar & Sriniwas Ramanjuam She is the first Gorkha runner to participate the ultramarathon run. During a small ceremony held in the Damsang Guest House in Pedong, Mala Sherpa president of the association thanked all for helping in organising the run. Roshni was presented a citation for her effort, arrangement and help in sending and making the hill marathon runners participate in the Mumbai marathon 2011. They are also going to participate in the Delhi marathon. 

The Comrades Marathon is the ultra marathon of 89km and it takes place in South Africa between the cities of Durban and Petermaritzburg. Every year the route of the Comrades Marathon changes to down run and up run. The Comrades Marathon 2012 is down run, which means it is starting from Petermaritzburg and finishing at Durban. To get the entry for the Comrades Marathon one has to run one International marathon of 42km in less than 5hrs. In India, Mumbai Marathon is the only recognised marathon to qualify for any international marathon.