At 66 years, K Selvanayagam is of the firm belief that running is in everyone’s blood. “If you decide to run and have the resolve to see this through, the rest of your life — your schedule will automatically fall into place,” he says. This is definitely the case for the Chennai resident, whose day usually begins at 4 am, with a 90-minute run on one of the city’s many flyovers.
K Selvanayagam during a marathon
Selvanayagam is among the city’s hordes of runners, and at 60, has seen the evolution of running in the city — right from the formation of the city’s first running groups. “Long ago, only a few of us used to run here and with no social media to bring us together, we would place a small signboard near a tea shop at the beach asking people who regularly walked there to join us if they were interested,” he recalls. Times have now changed, with several neighbourhood communities having walking and running groups, senior citizens banding together to go on walks and runs, and Chennai Runners, the city’s largest running community expanding to sixteen chapters to cover the city.
Having participated in marathons for years, Selvanayagam’s heart now lies with Nature and temples. “For eight years now, around 15 of us have been participating in the Sivalaya Ottam, where we visit around 11 temples by covering 95 kms on Sivarathri day. This is one of the finest examples of an unorganised run of sorts happening for years, and the distance is a true test of your mental determination,” he says.
Capt Dr Narasimha and Malthy Simha post the Berlin marathon
The reasons for senior citizens taking to running are varied. For Capt Dr K Narasimha and Malthy Simha, it was a combination of wanting to prioritise their health, take up an activity together, and beat the empty nest syndrome once their children moved abroad.
“When we started running with Chennai Runners in 2013, I remember us being among the first couple to run together,” Malthy laughs, recalling their beginnings. They have participated in over 23 half marathons, and most recently, ran at the 50th year of the Berlin Marathon in September 2024.
Running with the wind
For people across ages who want to get started on their running journey, Yasir Sultan, president, Chennai Runners says they have a yearly couch-to-5k program which is free of cost. “We encourage people who have no background in running or fitness to join. They are assigned the running chapter closest to where they live, are trained individually and are given custom plans,” he says. This, he says, has been extremely useful for senior citizens and the Chennai Runners has seen an uptick in people above the age of sixty sign up. “Instead of them randomly trying to run, we guide them on what to do and have mentors and coaches on board. Once their training is done, they are absorbed into one of the sixteen chapters we have, and they can run all-year-long,” Yasir explains.
“Running has given us the opportunity to travel to a host of different cities and explore,” Malthy says. An active part of the Bessie Flyers chapter of Chennai Runners, Capt Dr Narasimha makes a strong case for people looking to start running to join a group. “You will not be conscious of your pace or your tiredness — the pitter patter of feet running all around you will get you into the groove. Couples who can, especially, should run together. It is a great bonding activity,” he says.
At Chennai’s biggest marathon this coming weekend, Capt Dr Narasimha will be a pacer for the twenty miler. Malthy, a clinical psychologist adds that running as a part of a group has taught them patience, concentration, discipline, better decision making, and most importantly social skills.
“Chennai has been especially safe for women to run, in my experience. When I used to train for full marathons in peak summer, I used to start running by myself from as early as 3am, and I have never faced any issues,” she says.
Baba Arasan during a marathon in Chennai
The new year has just about begun and the first few months of the year already seem packed with marathons for runners like Baba Arasan, a retiredForest Department official. On Friday, the long distance runner will head out of the city for the Hyderabad airport run. “I have participated in over 300 marathons so far and half marathons are my favourite,” he says, having been running for over fifty years now. From the Vasai Virar marathon in Maharashtra to the Tata Steel marathon in Kolkata, Baba has been travelling to run quite a bit, and rattles off a list of his best timings and finishes — each more impressive than the other. “In the 2019 Chennai Marathon, I finished the half marathon in 1 hour, 25 minutes and 26 seconds,” he says.
For people looking to be bitten by the running bug this year, we ask these veteran runners for tips and tricks.
Selvanayagam, Capt Dr Narasimha, and Malthy, all unanimously preach waking up early, given how Chennai’s hot weather makes it impossible to go out for a run in the late morning or afternoon.
“I also advocate for everyone getting a medical check up done before they start, and with running, I believe that a proper method should be followed. Start with simple mobility and stretching, then walk and jog and slowly pick up from there,” Malthy says.
“Most importantly, running teaches you how to listen to your body,” she adds.
Published – January 01, 2025 01:23 pm IST
