A Mumbai resident with roots in Asansol would come home during Durga Puja every year. He has started making a second trip home since last year — for the Tata Steel Kolkata 25k, partnered by The Telegraph.
Kalyan Roy, 47, has a running partner in wife Niti. The couple dropped in at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra next to Netaji Indoor Stadium on Friday afternoon to collect their bibs for the 25K run. “I visit my hometown during Puja and then spend a few days in Calcutta too. But in December, it is just for the run,” said Kalyan, senior vice-president with a shipping company.
The Roys are among the 15,000 running enthusiasts who will hit the tracks on Red Road on Sunday morning.
The collection centre was buzzing with people who had come to collect their kits long after registrations closed around 3pm on Friday.
The couple, who are joining Calcutta’s premiere road race for the second year on the trot, have taken part in more than 40 runs since they put on the running shoes a decade ago.
For Kalyan, it was the urge to lose weight that prompted him to take to running.
“Both of us are health freaks now. But a decade ago, I weighed around 100kg. That is when my wife encouraged me to take up running,” Kalyan said.
The couple have since ran several races, including two on foreign soil — the Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon in August this year and the Colombo Marathon in October. They are also regulars at the Mumbai and Delhi marathons.
Kalyan clocked his best timing so far — 2 hours and 6 seconds — in Delhi this year.
The two are fresh from a marathon in Bhopal that was held on December 1.
The running course in Singapore has been one of their best experiences. “But the greenery around the Maidan is also a sight for sore eyes,” said Niti, who feels the “best way to see a city is through running”.
“From traffic control to end road hydration, the facilities in Calcutta are top-notch. The road where the race starts is also smooth as silk,” Niti said, referring to Red Road.
White tents, which would serve as holding areas for elite athletes, have come up on one side of Red Road. The grand stand from where champion diver Greg Louganis, the international event ambassador, will flag off the race is getting the finishing touches. “Everything will be in place by Saturday evening,” an organiser said.
Three women were seen checking out the stalls at the bib collection centre. Sharmila Nair, 32, who took up running last year and joined the big league with the San Francisco Marathon in 2017 is here for the second time.
Sharmila had run the full 25km in TSK last year but has opted for the 10K run this time. “I want to improve my timing in the 10K run,” said the Garia resident, who also ran 10K course in the Delhi and Mumbai marathons this year.
The 32-year-old lawyer has inspired her sister Shaswaty, a textile designer, and friend Shreya Banerjee, also a lawyer, to join her.
“Running is so liberating. I wish I had taken it up earlier,” Shaswaty said.
Kalyan and Niti Roy from Mumbai with their bibs. They will run the 25K Picture by Gautam Bose
The Telegraph
