Event date: Feb 15th, 2009
It was a tale of two marathons, which by the twist of fate, or by the idiocy of the organizers, fell on the same date, even though when are located so near to each other. To clarify, Auroville marathon was planned months in advance, and as always, Chennai marathon comes out of nowhere just weeks from the run (and not to forget, this is the 7th edition of the event).
Results courtesy: The Hindu
Chennai marathon results (Men):
- Shivdhan Singh (Army/Rajasthan)
- Bibul Sugariya (Hyderabad) 2:34:08
- Nagendra Rao (Army/Chennai) 2:34:48
For the record, a historic 58 persons completed the 42K! So much so for a big city marathon, where 15000+ people were said to be running on the day. Interestingly, the time of the winner is yet to find its place on the web!
- Sudha Singh (UP)
- Suriya L (Tamil Nadu)
- Kamlesh Baghel (Maharasthra)
Chennai half-marathon results (Men):
- Ravi Kanth (Karnataka)
- Irappa (Tamil Nadu)
- BC Thilack (Tamil Nadu)
Complete results at: chennaimarathon.org
Yet to receive details on the Auroville event, still in its infancy in its 2nd year, but nonetheless, all I have heard about is praise for its organizers. It is so popular amongst the Chennai Runners that most of them actually left for Auroville to participate in this run, rather than slug it out in their own backyard in Chennai. There were also big groups from Bangalore and Hyderabad at the run. Here’s an interview with Chandresh Patel, the man behind the Auroville marathon, done by Runners For Life.
To be fair to the Chennai marathon organizers, I heard that it was reasonably well organized, better than the past. It was also noted that there were no “stone throwing” incident on the runners, unlike last year! Traffic was well marshalled, and the route had regular water stops.
Auroville marathon results:
Complete results here [pdf file, 1.85MB]
Full Marathon:
1. Ashok Nath 3:19:45
2. Madhu Avasarala 3:41:51
3. Ram Sethu 3:45:00
Half Marathon – Men:
1. Rameshwar Chitgire 1:24:30
2. Ramkishan Salunke 1:26:58
3. Matt Barrett 1:27:01
Half Marathon – Women:
1. Sunita Kanna 1:42:01
2. Farah Mahmood 1:44:23
3. Meenakshi Gaekwad 1:46:52
Quarter Marathon:
1. Matthew Lindsay 0:45:04
2. K. Iyyanar 0:50:45
3. Abhijit Baliarsingh 0:51:51
Auroville marathon event reviews from blogworld:
Some of the comments I read were about:
- the wonderful and scenic trail route in between the trees
- wildlife sighting on the route – mongoose, deer, cows (ok that last one is not)
- beautiful music of the insects and birds on the route
- band playing live music on route
- wonderful volunteers at all the pit stops
- well stocked pit stops
A lot of runners did their PR’s here, which speaks a lot about the kind of atmosphere which must have been there.
Bhasker does his 7th marathon in 7 months!
Rohit does a 21K PR
Prakash Francis enjoys the beautiful route while doing the 21K
Venkat has a great run in spite of the injury!
Balu does his bit for the Asha foundation, and enjoys the mongoose trail
Anupama hits the runners high after the run!
Hari does it again, with a 21K PR this time (after his super Singapore feat)
Param flies all the way from Delhi, and makes every bit count!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I was there in Auroville. Ashok came 1st in the men’s marathon with a time of 3:19. The men’s half marathon winner was somewhere near 1:23. women’s half marathon winner was around 1:40. Don’t know about women’s full marathon.
Auroville rocks man !!! By far, one of the best organized marathons with out all the corporate fanfare. Simply put, it is all about running. The trail through the eucalyptus groves just leaves you wanting for more. This was my first trip there but I have already marked my calendar for next year.
@Rohit: I guess I should have Auroville on my calendar sooner than later! Congrats on your PR.
@Satish: Excellent, maybe I will join you next year too!
The Auroville marathon is different. Away from the city, running through the forests in paths at times less than a foot wide – is an altogether different exprience.
At times It got so lonely that you wonder if some furry creature would jump on you from up close. But no such luck.
A superb experience and as Satish has mentioned – the calendar is marked for the year nex
The Auroville marathon is truly a unique experience! The early morning run was both refreshing and challenging.
I have relived the experience at http://thewriteperspective.wordpress.com/