Salient features
This event has been a special one for many reasons. Some salient aspects of this event were –
- More than 100 runners registered
- Runners from Bangalore, Hyderabad, United States and different parts of Chennai participated
- Four race categories were offered - 5kms, 10kms, 20kms and 30kms
- The race route – It was a 15kms loop – enhanced runners interaction and ‘stretch’ the distance limits
- Pepsi sponsored the water (Aquafina)
- Fully equipped aid stations for every 2.5kms with water, energy drinks, bananas and medical kits
- We had more about 12 people who volunteered and manned the aid stations and took care of arrangements at the start/finish line.
Chronology of events
It all started at about 0345Hrs IST on the 20th July, when we Chennai Runners started to assemble near the Dimensions Gym in Alwarpet. We were all set for our 7th East Coast Road (ECR) run, which was scheduled to begin at 0500Hrs from the Green Coconut Resort on the ECR Road.
From the travel logistics perspective, we had a couple of options to reach the starting point – 1) carpool from Dimensions Gym, Alwarpet or 2) directly meet at the starting point. We had about 15 people turning up at the Dimensions Gym – some to run and the rest to volunteer. Ramesh (Tiger) was busy distributing the participant rosters to the volunteers and we quickly chose five of our cars to help us with the volunteering effort. We soon cleared to spot to arrive at the Green Coconut Resort at about 0430Hrs.
The persistence and hard work indeed paid off – we saw a quorum of more than 80 runners at the starting point. Ever since our first ECR Run, we’ve seen an incremental participation from runners inside and outside of Chennai. This indeed is the desire that Ram Viswanathan, the founder of Chennai Runners has been nurturing for a very long time now – to create and spread the awareness about running across Chennai and the country.
This time around, Tiger (Ramesh Ponnuswami) and KK (Karthikeyan Vijayakumar) were the two who pretty much lead the event organization efforts. While Ramesh took care of the overall organization of the event, KK and others in the team split up tasks to get the support ecosystem setup. Yes, volunteering was the key ingredient of the support ecosystem that needed the most focus. We had five volunteer cars that plied through the 15kms distance to and fro to support the runners with everything they needed for a safe and comfortable run.
Senthil and Tiger volunteered at 0kms aid station; Shumit and Mahesh volunteered at the first 2.5kms aid station; Arun Krishnan, Raghav and his pal volunteered at the first 5kms aid station; Pradeep volunteered at the first 7.5kms aid station; Vidyuth and Karthik Vijayakumar (myself) volunteered at the first 10kms aid station; Bhargav volunteered at the 12.5kms aid station; Siva and Velu volunteered at the 15kms aid station.
But that’s not everything. There is something special about most of these volunteers – Shumit, Mahesh, Arun Krishnan, Pradeep, Vidyuth, Karthik Vijayakumar, Bhargav, Ramesh, Senthil and Siva are all regular runners who chose to volunteer this time around. Raghav (Ram Viswanathan’s son) and his pal were the youngest volunteers who chose to forego their Sunday morning sleep to help us with the volunteering. Velu is Tiger’s driver, who relentlessly volunteered at the 15kms point and also helped us with the transfer of mineral water bottles between aid stations. But all volunteers shared a common goal – Give the best support to the runners and help them Do More!
Due to a large number of runners, we decided to stagger the start time based on the distances. We chose to start the 30kms race at 0500Hrs, the 20kms race at 0510Hrs, the 10K race at 0520Hrs and the 5kms race at 0530Hrs. The ECR Road being a very busy highway, safety was foremost on our agenda. We urged the runners to run on the right side of the road, facing the traffic. As a part of our safety gears, we distributed reflective stickers to all the participating runners.
It was about 0433Hrs when Tiger addressed the volunteers with some specific instructions on the modus operandi. Ram Viswanathan welcomed the runners with a brief about the ECR Run followed by some safety tips for safe running.
It was 0458Hrs, and we were ready to start off the 30kms race. Karthik Vijayakumar managed the starting line by giving last minute safety instructions, taking a head count and a picture of all the runners at the start point. Amongst the others were ace runners like Ram Viswanathan, Narayanan and Venkatesh who seemed well stretched and warmed up. That was not all – we had two young lads from the YMCA who joined us for the 30kms race too. The 30kms race took off at 0501Hrs sharp and the runners were cheered by the organizing team and the other runners.
The volunteer cars for the 2.5kms and the 5kms aid stations took off from the starting point to be able to set up the station by the time our 30kms runners arrived at the 2.5kms and 5kms points.
The next to take off was the 20kms race. We had about 24 runners at the starting point. Shahul and his friends (10 in all) from the Maverick Gym were a big part of this group. After some last minute safety instructions, a quick head count and a picture of all the runners, the 20kms race commenced at 0510Hrs sharp.
The biggest participation was for the 10kms race, with over 30 people at the starting point. This group had a good mix of both men and women runners. After some last minute safety instructions, a quick head count and a picture of all the runners, the 20kms race commenced at 0520Hrs sharp.
The volunteer cars for the 7.5kms, 10kms, 12.5kms and 15kms aid stations took off from the starting point at about 0530Hrs. Mineral water, energy drinks, bananas and medical kits were distributed to all volunteer cars before departing the starting point.
As usual, even this time around, we were joined by our ace runners Jacob Boopalan, Raghav Raghavacharya and their friend from the Asha.org runners in the Bay Area, USA. They apparently started to run all the way from the beginning of the ECR to the starting point and continued to the 20kms point and returned back to the finish line.
The runners started to arrive at the finish line (Green Coconut Resort) from 0600Hrs to about 0930Hrs. Two young lads from YMCA were the first to complete the 30K race in about 2 hours and 20 minutes. Ram Viswanathan took the final bow to thank Pepsi for sponsoring the drinks and the runners from Bangalore and Hyderabad for traveling long distances to take part in this race. He also thanked Jacob, Raghav Raghavacharya and his friend from Asha.org for joining us. Anupama and KK offered a helping hand with the distribution of participation certificates to the runners.
At the finish line, we had ice cubes and towels for runners to treat their feet. Also, the runners were taken through a 20 minute stretching session on the lawns at the finish line by Dilip (Gym Trainer from Maverick Gym, Chennai). Breakfast was served at the finish line from 0630Hrs to 1015Hrs. Some runners chose to buy our Chennai Runners brand tees while some chose to take a swim in the swimming pool. The participation fee for this event was Rs.250, while people who chose to take a swim in the pool had to pay Rs.75 per head.
Overall, we had a great event and a memorable Sunday. We would like to thank our drink sponsor Pepsi for sponsoring water for the ECR Run for the second time. Gatorade is a favorite among our runners and we missed it this time due to short supply… hope we get it back on the shelves soon. We also take this opportunity to thank all our volunteers for whole heartedly supporting the event. This event could not have been a success without our runners – Chennai Runners thanks all the 7th ECR Run runners. We look forward to seeing you in our future runs!
Race day pictures
The Official 7th ECR Run Photographs
http://photos.chennairunners.com/2008/07/blog-post.html
Members’ Photo Collection – 7th ECR Run
http://photos.chennairunners.com/2008/07/members-photo-collection-7th-ecr-run.html
Printable Report
Printable version of the report is available at
http://chennairunners.com/images/ecrrun/Chennai_Runners_7th_ECR_Run_FINAL.pdf 
