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Marathon runners invariably draw inspiration from Emil Zatopek quote "If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon." Tom Fleming's Boston Marathon Training Motto “Somewhere in the world someone is training when you are not and when you race him, he will win” has also inspired a whole generation of runners across the globe.
The marathon, 26.2 miles, is not necessarily the easiest sport. In fact, most people think marathon runners are downright nuts. Whole lot of celebrities like George W Bush, Al Gore, Oprah Winfrey, Rahul Bose, John Abraham, Anil Ambani, Anand Mahindra and many more must have heard of Robert H. Schuller quote “Tough times never last, but tough people do”
Marathon running is about mental preparation more than a lot of other factors. One needs strength, stamina, endurance and a super strong mental attitude which brings the determination to keep running no matter how tired one is. Nothing beats the exhilaration of marathon running. It doesn't matter whether one come first or last as it is a race against oneself.
To quote Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder, "The marathon is a charismatic event. It has everything. It has drama. It has competition. It has camaraderie. It has heroism. Every jogger can't dream of being an Olympic champion, but he can dream of finishing a marathon."
According to John Hanc "Finishing a marathon isn't just an athletic achievement. It's a state of mind; a state of mind that says anything is possible."
Many students who graduate from BITS Pilani take up the running of marathon as a mission with passion to ensure that there are no dreams too large, no innovation unimaginable and no frontiers beyond reach. Some Proud to be BITSians like Bhasker Sharma are marathon maniacs.
With the aim to promote a healthier lifestyle among BITSians, BITS2Marathon and BITSAA organized the first world-wide running event: "BITS World 5k Run" on 6th December. The run had two distance categories namely 5km and 10km. BITSians world over participated and competed virtually, running their own race.
Pune Marathon presently hogging the news might have attracted 25 participating countries but the BITS run took place on same date at Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Singapore, San Francisco, Texas, Minneapolis, London, Iceland, Denmark, Kula Lumpur etc apart from Pilani Rajasthan.
The run at Pilani started and ended at the house of Vice Chancellor Dr LK Maheshwari BITS Pilani. Dr BR Natarajan Professor and Vice President BITSAA completed the 10 Km category while faculty members Dr Sangeeta Sharma (Group Leader Languages), Dr Monica Sharma as well as Dr Usha Manjunath and Anil Kumar final year MMS student completed the 5 Km category. After finishing the marathon, the participants had the privilege of having tea and snacks at the VC residence.
Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ quote sums it up all: "The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed."
About BITS Pilani
The Birla Institute of Technology and Science - BITS Pilani (bits-pilani.ac.in) is a Deemed to be University established vide Sec.3 of the UGC Act, 1956 under notification No. F.12-23/63.U-2 of June 18, 1964. NAAC - National Assessment and Accreditation Council reaccredited BITS with 3.71 CGPA out of 4 and awarded "A" grade "Very Good" status. It is indeed a matter of pride that for the year 2009, BITS Pilani has been ranked among the top ranking universities along with IITs in various Magazine surveys such as India Today, Outlook, LiveMint etc. BITS offers degrees in various disciplines presently at Pilani, Dubai, Goa and Hyderabad campuses. BITS Pilani has done pioneering work in industry university collaborations in terms of Practice School and Work Integrated Learning Programmes. Alumni of the Institute who are Proud to be BITSians and ambassadors for Brand BITS Pilani are spread across all continents from Australia to America.
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