Chennai Trail Marathon: Running on a rain lashed Choolavaram course

Lengthy and scenic trails have been buried along with our ancestors underneath the modern and urban cities. Running is one the best ways to stay healthy and fit. It has been picking up like wildfire in recent times and every city has started hosting marathons to meet the never ending adrenaline rush of the runners. However, the longing to connect to the nature and beautiful trails through running has created a vacuum in the minds of the runners.

“The craving to reunite to the Nature;

The hunt to trot along scenic trails;

The desire to enjoy refreshing aroma from the flora;

The demand for a challenging trail to test endurance;

Chennai Trail Marathon stood as an Answer to the Runners”

There was no police personnel deployed on the running trails, there was no external photography professionals hired, there was no external cycling or biking group looped in, and there were no cheer leaders called in for. The run was bleeding with absolute sense of volunteerism. I would call it as an event from the trekking community to the running community although there is nothing dividing these communities.

Delightful Pre-Run Recce’s and Last minute Down Pour:

Meticulous planning went on to bring the best trail running experience to the runners. We ran miles and miles at this place, spent weekends to connect the scenic trails and make it one of the challenging ones. At the end of every trail, we felt delighted with its beauty and were appeased with the challenging course. It was around 1.30 a.m on the race day, we almost fixed our miles markers, route pointers, and marked the entire trail with white powder giving directions. It was just 3 ½ half hours left for the full marathon to begin. We heard loud thunders and saw lighting in the sky above the nearby Nagalapuram, and the dark clouds slowly engulfed the full moon and dark clouds opened up and it started raining incessantly. All the powder markings got washed away right in front of our eyes.

Drenched in rains, our mind was not worried about the trembling body but afraid about the trail being slowly flooded with water, which started disappearing. We had about 2 ½ half hours to kick-start the event when we received a call from the transportation lead that runners have started pooling at different start points in large numbers. We were hoping for some sort of a miracle to run on this trail. Our shoes would go two inches deep into the soil as we progressed on the trail.

Discovering the Connecting Trail:

The monsoon treks and survival missions came to our rescue. It had taught us how to survive an heavy down pour and to create trails even on a heavy monsoon inside very thick forest. Peter asked us to get into the Fortuner to explore the north side of the lake to find a trail clear off water. Everyone wanted to know if the run was on – to buy some time, we informed the race starting point organizers that the run will be delayed by an hour. Peter drove inside the village roads, looking for a trail that would connect the Choolavaram dam. We almost lost confidence of finding a connecting trail and were about to give up. It was then the master of all explorers rambled his Fortuner into a lonely trail and we were back on our toes with full zeal and energy. We exclaimed with unbound joy for discovering a scenic trail with which we can manage the run. My mind almost forgot that it did not sleep now for the past 36 hours nor was my body tired to sense the tiredness. I was as eager and enthused as the runner who was waiting for the run at the starting line.

Chased by the Lead Runner – Marking the Trail and Refreshment Points:

We reached the starting point at 5.45 am and witnessed that the entire college was beaming with great energy. The starting point was rejoicing with drumbeats. Peter assigned me with another challenging task of marking the entire trail and refreshment points afresh. I took the help of my GPS. With our strong team of bike marshals, for every left/right turn deviations and at refreshment points, I kept dropping one bike after another bike and finally at the 8th kilometer when I turned back, the lead runner was just 200 m away from me. He was pouncing like a tiger at 15 kms per hour.

We entered a village and the road divided into two parts and I had absolutely no clue which side of the village road I should take to mark the 10.5 km U-turn point. Confused to take a decision, I quickly took the guidance of an elderly man sitting underneath a tree who guided me inside a village trail. We blazed inside the trail and finally were forced to end our ride in front of a flooded pond, which was almost a dead end. By now the lead runner reached me and asked me the way, I politely said this is the U-turn point with 500 m short of the actual distance. Finally, I ended my search for trails. I stood there cheering and serving the full and half marathoners for another 6 hours, till the last full marathoner Mr. Arul came limping at around 11.30 to the refreshment point where I was volunteering, and walked alongside him till he successfully finished is run at around 1 pm.

I am overjoyed recalling those 36 hours of fun-filled, exciting and non-stop activity of marking the course, fixing the trail and taking one of the most challenging tasks of being the trail lead. The encounters with drunken patrons of the village late in the evening, the so-called President of ‘some’ village who created havoc late in the mid-night, the panic created by the Engineer of the Dam and the timely help from a senior officer, the unending conversations with a kind-hearted policemen, all these things just fade away from my mind. I am able to witness for myself the encouraging feedback, wonderful photographs of the runners and the smiling faces of my fellow volunteers.

While my legs run across the country participating in various running festivals, I dedicate my heart and self to the running community through Chennai Trail Marathon.