Okay,
we now know the criteria that will be used to compare the events & how I
will rate them. I will now quickly go through these criteria for what was the
best (or worst) experience for each.
Start time: Every event that I have been to, has
started on time, give or take a couple of minutes. Full points to all. Except
Vadodara International Marathon 2016 (VIM-16), though I have still given it a
point because it started. With the experience of VIM-16, I was afraid this
would be repeated at Gandhinagar too, being a city of babus. But no, they
started on time which, I believe, is because the event is organized by runners.
Need to point out that VIM-17 started on dot & is expected (hopefully) to do so in the
next editions too.
Hydration/Fuel arrangement: This is adequately taken care of by
the organisers, but inevitably supplies run out by the time slower runners are
finishing their run. Kochi & Rajkot ensured this was not so. However, at
Zendurance, Nasik, one found Enerzal was out of stock by the time the 10K
runners reached the 5K turnaround. This was not on account of organisers
running out of stock but failing to replenish it. Had they kept some bottles of
wine there, runners would not have complained!
Traffic management: Toughest task for any organizer, this
one is. But Rajkot managed it very well. For three reasons, I think – it was the local
administration that was organizing the event, the collector himself was running
the HM & also because the people of Rajkot are inherently friendly &
patient. SoleFest also did a good job on account of good route selection that
avoided early morning traffic. VIM-16 failed badly in this criterion simply
because of a delayed start.
Route: Give this one to the tourist
destinations. Spice Coast, Kochi, takes us through the beautiful old town areas
with the backwaters turning up every now & then. Goa River Marathon (GRM),
as the name suggests, courses along the river (and over it too) which is a good
thing as Goa is otherwise synonymous with Beaches. Even Zendurance had a
beautiful route beginning & ending at the Sula Vineyards. But making the
HMers do a double loop makes it a bit boring the second time round. On the
other hand, we have RunGandhinagarRun which is unfortunate enough to be held in
Gandhinagar whose roads are laid out in a maze. No wonder, the 2-hour Bus itself lost its way (along with its passengers) at Gandhinagar.
Weather: Give this one to Zendurance. Perfect
weather for distance running, neither too cold nor warm. Of course, all events
are conducted when the weather is best. Except SoleFest, which had the
disadvantage of finding a vacant slot in March. Not the best of times to run in
Baroda. Having moved to end-November, things should turn out much better next
time onwards.
Crowd support: It was a festival out there in Rajkot,
maybe because it was the 1st time such an event was taking place
there. The municipal corporation had promoted the event very well & the
locals were out in large numbers to witness it. They were not really
inconvenienced much because they had to come out anyway to get their morning
dose of ganthias. Zendurance is characterized by absence of any bystanders
because it is conducted outside the town amidst the vineyards. But why so in
Gandhinagar? I think the babus work very hard rest of the week to wake up early
on a cold Sunday morning to watch some runners sweating it out.
Post-run refreshment: The spread at Kochi is any foodie’s
delight. Steaming hot idlis along with dosas & omelets straight from the
pan are what you get at Spice Coast Marathon. If you are planning to go there,
I suggest you move out of town after the breakfast to have some fresh toddy.
SoleFest scores full points here because of the awesome puri-bhaji it served.
When you are a runner, you don’t bother about the calories you intake after a
long run! I rank GRM in this bracket though the eatables they provide are not
worth a mention, simply because they also give you a complementary can of beer.
Shouldn’t Zendurance add a glass of wine to its fare, which is anyway served
cold?
Route markers: It shouldn’t really matter but Spice
Coast has taken this to stratospheric levels. Others shouldn’t even try to
match it. Rajkot tried its best but doesn’t come close, though it leaves the
rest far behind. ("Run, blood should circulate" is lifted from one such poster at Rajkot.) At the other end, we had budget-constrained SoleFest pasting
KM markers on car windows & parking these along the route. I gave them 1
point for innovativeness! Hope Gandhinagar has directions pointed out next time
round, for a zero score is not what you want year after year.
As
I mentioned in the previous post, I have also considered another factor –
overall experience. But that is for the next post, when I will share how these
events have scored. While you are waiting for it, you can share the best &
worst experiences you have had for the other readers to benefit.
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