The 2016 edition of Vadodara International Half Marathon (VIHM) was not different than the previous one. The sole reason why I would like the organizers to watch The Godfather! Some nuggets from the movie for the VIHM guys...
Once upon a time,
Vadodara International Marathon (as it was then called) was acclaimed as
"Smallest City, Biggest Marathon". I believe, this made the
organizers strive for a massive participation every time the event was held. Of
course, political compulsions also played a major part in this (let us not
dwell on these). But does a large crowd translate into a great event? If one
goes by the previous two editions of VIM/VIHM, it’s a big NO! The organizers
should realize the runners don’t care for the no. of participants (even if it
is a world record) but how the event is conducted (in every respect). And it is
the feedback of the runners that makes (or mars) an event's reputation.
The politicians who come
to flag off the event may appreciate the large gathering & would be all
praise for the organizers for the efforts put in. But are they aware that the
crowd put in place are mostly school kids who have been forced to participate
by the schools? I doubt it. But the serious runners, who are the heart of such
events, who come in at 5:30 AM to find kids in school uniforms are not taken in
by such gimmicks. And quite vocal about it too. Especially the outstation ones
who compare this with events in their home towns or other places. I will not be
surprised if it comes out that there are very few repeat outstation
participants at VIHM/VIM.
The previous time
(2013), the event started much after the scheduled time because the chief guest
arrived late & proceeded to give a long speech. This time, the participants
had the same fears but the organizers were smart. Firstly, they did not announce
any start time (thus, technically, the start was not delayed!). Those who
queried (including me) were assured that the 15K & HM would be flagged off
before the chief guest's arrival. What happens? The same old story... Reminds
one of The Godfather, though I am not aware whether the organizers even
apologized (but runners are not gods).
Once upon a time,
Vadodara International Marathon (as it was then called) was acclaimed as
"Smallest City, Biggest Marathon". I believe, this made the
organizers strive for a massive participation every time the event was held. Of
course, political compulsions also played a major part in this (let us not
dwell on these). But does a large crowd translate into a great event? If one
goes by the previous two editions of VIM/VIHM, it’s a big NO! The organizers
should realize the runners don’t care for the no. of participants (even if it
is a world record) but how the event is conducted (in every respect). And it is
the feedback of the runners that makes (or mars) an event's reputation.
The politicians who come
to flag off the event may appreciate the large gathering & would be all
praise for the organizers for the efforts put in. But are they aware that the
crowd put in place are mostly school kids who have been forced to participate
by the schools? I doubt it. But the serious runners, who are the heart of such
events, who come in at 5:30 AM to find kids in school uniforms are not taken in
by such gimmicks. And quite vocal about it too. Especially the outstation ones
who compare this with events in their home towns or other places. I will not be
surprised if it comes out that there are very few repeat outstation
participants at VIHM/VIM.
Had the organizers had
along the route while the event was in progress they would have witnessed
people waiting at intersections to let the runners pass. The waiting crowds
increased with time at practically all intersections. Did someone miss a train?
Was someone late for work? Who cares? But people have a life beyond a marathon
too, and an equal right to civic infrastructure. You simply can’t inconvenience
so many people at a time. One person arriving late & thousands were
troubled. For this realization to take place, the organizers have to get off
the stage & on the streets. While many runners felt guilty about this, did
the organizers also feel so? I don't think so, for this was a repeat of the
last edition.
An event organizer’s 1st
priority should always be runners. If the runners feel good after an event,
they will generate enough positive feedback to bring in more runners the next
time round. And once the runners come in, the sponsors are sure to follow (not
to speak about the politicians). Somehow, the VIHM organizers work the other
way round. They first bring the politicians on board to grace the event flag
off, which helps them pull in the sponsors. They get so busy caring for the guests
& sponsors that they forget the essence of an event - the runner. Maybe,
runners are simply the performing artists in this circus called VIHM.
Many events are filled
up even before the 1st posters are put up. Forget about the biggies (SCMM,
etc.), some smaller events like Zendurance Nashik (http://runfunetc.blogspot.com/) & Daman Wind Marathon (http://runfunetc.blogspot.in/) have
their own set of devoted runners who return religiously year after year.
Zendurance doesn't even put up posters in Nasik town about the event, yet the
event receives plenty of positive feedback. VIHM makes up for this absence of
fan-base by compelling school students to participate in large nos to create
records. Well, the records do last!! Which makes one wonder whether the
organizers are themselves confident about how the actual event will play out.
Least likely, if you ask me.
An event of this
magnitude which uses civic infrastructure is not expected to be perfect. There
will always be some issues, major or minor, as it is difficult to envisage
everything that can go wrong. But to repeat the same old mistakes makes one
feel that the organizers are simply not bothered about it. Had the organizers
considered the goof ups as a personal insult, they would have ensured the flag
off took place as scheduled. Couldn't they have asked the chief guest to give
away the prizes which was also a photo-op that the politicians long for? With
so many prizes on offer, they could have accommodated more politicians as well
as speeches. Alas, the event was just a side show to the flagging off ceremony.
This one is for me (and
other runners as well). Here was an event in my hometown, which helped me avoid
the hassles of managing logistics for an outstation event. Despite being a
small town, here are some people who have worked hard to make this event
happen. Shouldn't this event in itself be an occasion to celebrate, rather than
cribbing about all that could have been better? Rather than complain about what
wasn't, I will enjoy what is, next time the event takes place. Bring on the
next edition of VIHM/VIM, I will be there!! (Hope it’s not on 11th December
2016, as that would clash with the Goa River Marathon.)
Picture Credits: SM addicts on Facebook & WhatsApp
Disclaimer: Maybe, not all the above quotes are from The Godfather (but still relevant for VIHM team)
Disclaimer: Maybe, not all the above quotes are from The Godfather (but still relevant for VIHM team)
