Shackled in fear and stress of the pandemic, the ordeal seemed unending. Sorrow of loosing so many near ones and people in close acquaintances, frontline heroes and people in general to the cruel disease was becoming normal and has made us numb almost. The new normal that we talked about in a fancy became a routine. Our fight to come out breaking the fear to help the feontline doctors and needy patients took courage and hardwork, as we scrambled through the lockdown to amass resources for medical supplies for the frontline heroes. The wave after wave deranged all social norms and had put us all in shackles. So we all know what it takes.
They say it's easy to win the war, but it's very difficult to wedge a war. It's easy to finish but it's difficult to start.
And knowing the great difficulties that go in to organizing a timed race in city and that too in Surat, takes some strong tough wedge, a wedge of courage, strength and determination to put up a show like what we witnessed today.
Team LBSM and SDCA, take a bow! You guys have broken the shackles of 2 years of lockdown, both physical and mental, and have set the runners free !
While seeing so many regular runners getting their personal best timings, there is hardly anything left to say about how excellent was the route managed by the volunteers from so many different units like LCG and ace runners who sacrificed their run to be volunteers, and it was specially a delight to see NCC cadets manning some stations and cheer near finish line. Ample hydration and warmth of all the volunteers cheering made the first freedom run memorable!
There is nothing to be said more about the race, the holding area, the punctuality, the hydration, the volunteering, the medal or the systems. It's all evident on all the runners faces, and all the runners must have seen the wide smiles on all faces describing everything.
Personally for me, the runner in me can exactly be described by this picture of Sinan and Kaniska Virani, who represents the soul of so many of us, who were running physically but their soul was flying merrily on the road, celebrating the freedom of the first city race, like this child in the pictures, and it surely was worth memorable one. !
