Mangaluru Beach festival - Sun, Surf, Sand and Run is all to soak in.
Mangalore Triathlon also hosted the Half Marathon and was scheduled to begin at 6am on 18th February at Mangalore Surf Club, Tannirbhavi Beach. With the heat just catching up as the year progresses, the start time didn't make a big difference as you would tend to sweat in no time due to the humidity around.
I knew this was going to play on my mind and as much as I like running in the heat for the training runs, competing against one self does get taxing and your only redemption is to get done with it sooner than ever. The early weight loss did give me some advantage on the pace I could run at and had me meet some more pbs in the past. This half marathon was just another gig I tried to play well under my skin. While this was a quick weekend get away to not just run but also to surf and enjoy the seafood festival at the Tapasya Beach Festival 2024 topped up by some Music performance, Start-up cultural fest and ofcourse backed up by a cause of supporting cancer patients and raising aware of its prevention.
With all that said, the 21km run would be no less of a effort due to the humid condition. Other categories comprised of 10 and 5kms fun run too especially targetted towards the youth of Mangalore. Many buses flocked the scenes for moving the crowd to be the start line.
The 6am start didn't seem to happen for obvious reasons. Some honest feedback here for the event organisers - the management of the event had a lot of scope in terms of timely conducting all the proceedings right from the bib collection to communication to athlete engagement. It felt like they had too much on the plate to handle and were falling short of efficient manpower and volunteers. The volunteers indeed did a good job with whatever knowledge at hand and were supportive on queries. However a proactive approach towards action items would give the athletes a comfort zone than having to worry of the commotion during the event.
Zumba session pre-run definitely had people warming up and the flag off followed as soon as the chief guest arrived. It was still a bit dark and needed another 30 minutes or so for the day light to make it presence felt.
The start location was a walk away from the actual venue and was certainly done to address the incoming traffic of the triathletes wanting to much needed space for to organise three different sports in tandem. This is some experience I must say and so look forward to doing it in future provided all the cards fall in space.
The start happened around 6:15 and began at the beach a few hundred meters from the tar. Btw, the road wasn't entirely tar, 20-30 percent of it was a concrete stretch. Such roads don't hold much grip compared to tar and one can often find the strides difficult if not gained enough practice on this surface. The initial leg of 3-4km led us to the Mangalore Udupi highway which had to be crossed over and continued to be run on the other side. The roads were quite a playground for the runners with barely any traffic but the stretches seemed longer as every end of the far paved road was in sight till the next turn. This helped mark you short mile stones and you knew them exactly on the way back. The aid stations were sparingly placed and did not seem well equipped with all that was promised on the website. The volunteers had to be called out to serve you on your arrival. I had decided to belt these miles down with a 250ml of electrolyte bottle and approximately 5 gels. The first gel was gulped down before the start whereas every other gel was scheduled at 4-5km interval.
Past the start line there was no stopping by for nutrition as I was carrying enough on self to burn all the way down till the 21st kilometre. The water stations were indeed used as passersby to pour some water to cool off the heat but all that was taken care of without a stoppage. The beach side route did accompany us with stray dogs but once you cross over the highway, the road was all yours to send it.
You will hit a mild elevation at a bridge at around 7-8kms and this is a gradual one. Crossing this bridge and then a km or two till you finish approximately 9kms would be the time to take the U turn and run back to the beach. We also happen to run across a high security area and as a result, it had lead to certain amount of commotion. The organisers got that resolved realtime with the security gaurds at the gate while I managed to escape the gates just in time when they were closing. Guess there seemed a communication gap that lead to the road blocks and was cleared with some hustle.
The big win for TimTim and some missed birthday moments of Trilok
By 16km, the heat has started to get on my nerves, so beating the most of it was the only option. The sun was definitely shining bright and has plans of getting tanned further. Crossing the start point, you had to run past a village before you could turn right on the beach and experience the feels of a beach ultra. Glad this was just a 2kms stretch to the finish. With having done the job well with no hiccups or injury, it was time to cool off below the man made showers and this was absolute bliss. A good initiative than having to spend all the drinking water to pour on you.
With ample categories of events being conducted, the refreshment section was flooded with atheletes and had to give it a pass to head to our very own surf restaurant for some good protein intake. An early morning fish fillet and fresh lime just made a right combo to quench your hunger and thirst at the same time. Guess it got memorable due the hunger I carried post the run and the more often kitty 🐈 love that gets showered at Wave Surf Cafe and Restaurant.
And that's how things showed up on Strava and to my knowledge having to sustain the pace was still taking me back to the weight loss of approximately 2kgs that has me leading to personal bests. And yes, it does make me feel the load off my back with the current running weight of 59-60kgs and cherishing the game so far.
And the following morning, this came through and voila..
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