The Hindu : Mumbai's lonely marathoner

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 15, 2004

Other States

Other States - Maharashtra

Mumbai's lonely marathoner

By Nandakumar Marar

MUMBAI, JAN. 14. Marathoners must be crazy. John Wallace is an example of how the loneliness of long-distance running, coupled with the single-minded preparation of body and soul for a torture test of over 42.195 km can sometimes create strange responses in people.

The 59-year-old, a retired sales executive and a fitness enthusiast with a self-confessed 216 marathon finishes, completed the full course of the Mumbai International Marathon 2004 all alone. He did this on Tuesday morning when the city was asleep, pounding the roads with only glowing streetlights for company.

Mr. Wallace has unique reasons for this solo effort, more than a month before the real event scheduled for February 15, 2004. He wanted to experience the joy of running a marathon, pushing his body past the pain barrier into a zone known only to a chosen few. Having registered for the Mumbai marathon, originally scheduled for January 12 and completed travel plans in advance to be in Vadodara for his son's wedding the same week, this sprightly American decided that making the trip twice is not possible.

"It is very difficult to explain why I am doing this. Only an athlete, I guess, can understand the high of running," said the Florida resident, speaking the night before. "I wasn't going to miss a marathon in Mumbai and since I couldn't come back in February, decided to run all alone if need be."

Mr. Wallace was timed at three hours, 50 minutes competing against himself, accompanied by an escort provided by the event promoter, Procam International. He was provided the mandatory water facility and athletic gear.

His performance will not be taken into consideration when the final results are compiled, but for him, the experience of running a full marathon in India was the high he was looking for. "Marathons give me a chance to travel to places beyond my reach as a tourist. And the journey has been fascinating, getting to different countries, experiencing different cultures,'' said Mr. Wallace, who took his family to the Elephanta Caves off Mumbai harbour the day after the run. The wedding experience in Vadodara awaits him on January 18.

Mr. Wallace has in the past run solo in Morocco and Andora. He took up distance running 25 years ago as a means to reduce his weight after quitting smoking. His energy level is phenomenal for a 59-year-old, an age when running a full marathon is a fantasy in itself.

The awakening of his physical self, along with the gradual realisation of the benefits of athletics, prodded him into taking running more seriously. A marathoner was born, hooked to running and ready to run solo if need be for his daily fix.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

News Update

Stories in this Section

Mumbai's lonely marathoner