A Long Beerathon before a Half Marathon (and after too)

We decided we will go in a single bus rather than two SUV’s so that, we convinced ourselves, we all could be in a one single group & have lots of fun. Which was a good thing to do, else who would have volunteered to drive (and stay off beer?) from Baroda to Goa. We suffered the 1^st casualty when Dr. Rajesh Chauhan withdrew owing to a genuine medical problem. Then Durgesh Merchant dropped out of the 1^st part of the trip as he had to stay back in town on Friday.

Now, Durgesh (along with his running mate, Dr. Suresh Nayak) was our inspiration for this trip. While it appeared as if a bunch of running enthusiasts were going off for an event (true, in a way), in reality we were simply a gang of beer hoggers out to have a good time outside our dry state. Having always admired the heroics of Durgesh & Suresh, we wished to run in their hallowed footsteps. Let me first tell you about their routine whenever they travel outside Gujarat for a HM. They reach the town in the morning the previous day by train. Check into a hotel. Collect their bibs. And hit a bar. They are not at all selfish & let us join the fun by sending us their pictures (with the beer prominently in the foreground) on whatsapp. Once the race is complete & we have their finisher photographs, we are again treated to another round of pictures of Beer. Their commitment to Beer is appreciated by all who know them as well as those who know about them.

Our 1^st halt after departure was just after crossing the border into Maharashtra. Pls don’t get us wrong, for that’s where Parsi Da Dhaba is & we had intended to go for only local cuisine while on the trip. Parsi Da Dhaba also serves beer & we had no choice but to quench the dry throats coming out of a dry state. It was late afternoon when we finished our lunch & proceeded into Maharashtra. Fortified by the traditional parsi meal & beer.

In ancient times, the Great Wall of China was built by the Chinese emperors to ward off the Mongols in the north. Mumbai also has something which serves the same purpose. It goes by the simple name of Ghodbandar. Stuck in the jam at Ghodbandar, we got down to loosen up the leg muscles (we were running a HM in 3 days) only to come across chilled beer. Reni George, a religious type who goes to church every Sunday, thought this was a divine signal welcoming us into Mumbai. And we had to have beer, for it was another form of Prasad for us devotees.

It was late in the night when we crossed Sheel Phata. Dinner did not worry us as the home-cooked dry chicken brought along by RK Menon was practically untouched along with Methi Parathas & Theplas. Having been advised that the wine shops close at 10 PM, we got some beer for the dry chicken. This helped us till the hotel near Pen where we stayed overnight. It was too late for another beer as we planned an early start.

We started quite early the next day so as to reach Goa well in time. A little after 10 AM we stopped for tea. We walked around a bit to loosen up the muscles (we were running a HM in 2 days) & found that a country liquor outlet also sold chilled beer. It was not hot, but the sun was truly up. What else, we stocked up beer for the next leg of the journey which lasted us till lunch.

It had turned dark for some time & we were still in Maharashtra. Taking Reni’s advice seriously we stopped to collect another stock of beer. An atheist, I always ridicule the believers. But I am now starting to believe that going to church each Sunday has its benefits. Hope Reni continues this practice.

With a small hiccup at the border check post, we reached Goa. Google Maps guided us to Calangute & to the vicinity of our hotel. It was late in the night & our hotel’s kitchen was not taking any further orders.we had to decide whether to check-in & come back for dinner, or have dinner before checking in. The experience of Suresh helped us here. We stopped at a hotel for dinner. And while waiting for the dinner to be brought in we had some beer. We also picked up some cans for Durgesh who was checking in later.

Reaching the hotel, Rakesh realized that he couldn’t last till Durgesh came in & had a can of beer. Rakesh Rawat is his full name & you would have guessed that he is from the hills. There is a famous saying in the hills – Surya ast, Pahadi mast, which translates as Once the Sun sets, the Hillman drinks. Rakesh proved during this trip that he lives his life by this dictum. Rather more, as he gives an equal importance to moonset.

After breakfast the next day, we moved to the race expo to collect our bibs. We met Siddharth Katju & we hooked him as we went to Hotel Anant Ashram for the highly recommended sea food. The high point for Durgesh & Suresh in any HM (outside Gujarat) is lunch on the previous day & no power on earth (or rest of the galaxy) can stop them from their pre-race ritual. Thus, while we waited for the fish thali to come, we had some beer.

After a short rest at the hotel, the gang went to Calangute beach. Durgesh & I stayed behind to rest some more. I lazed around even after Durgesh left to join the rest. But my thoughts were at the beach (and the beer) & as it was getting dark, I too joined them. And had only half a beer mug (I was running a HM the next morning).

Most people would tell you to stay off mild or hard liquor a few days before an distance run. It is supposed to dehydrate the muscles leading to cramps, and what not. But none of us had any such problem. Yes, Rakesh did get shin splints at the beginning but the generous quantity of beer that he had been having provided the mental strength to get over the pain & he finished with a respectable timing. The rest of us also achieved timings that we usually get while running in Gujarat. I believe, one of the reasons for this was the complimentary beer waiting for us at the finish line.

 

The best thing about the Goa River Marathon is that they provide complimentary beer after the run. It is so reinvigorating that after the beer, Reni & I were off to play football with the kids on the ground.

The joy of having collectively proved the pundits wrong on this count was not as great as the joy of seeing Harjeet Singh & RK Menon finishing their maiden 10K. The afternoon was spent at Lobo’s on the Calangute beach with, what else but Beer! After a short sojourn for rest & recuperation at the hotel, we were back in action for the evening & the ceremony continued till late hours of the night.

It was with a heavy heart that we left for Baroda early the next morning. To uplift the mood, we had no option but to relive the 1^st leg of the journey till we crossed Maharashtra late in the night. Into the land of cutting chai.