 Hello and let's talk about the 16th Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. Now this event is being held in the capital this year too amid the unique circumstances of the pandemic. The main event is going to be held on number 29th at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. It will be attended by elite Indian and international runners and will take place in a secure zone. But in the days preceding it from number 25 to 29th, runners in the city or anywhere in the world for that matter can take part through covering that distance and recording it via an app. Now this is to ensure safety during the time of a pandemic. But how safe it actually is will be quite a controversy considering the fact that for many running is a group activity. Now this is not the first time a half marathon which is being organised by Procam International has run into controversy about its timing. In earlier years too there have been questions about the run being organised amid the pollution in Delhi. But this year the COVID-19 pandemic has brought an entirely new dimension to the timing and the safety of this event. News Clicks Leslie Xavier and Dr Rajat Chauhan, a sports medicine expert as well as a marathoner himself and the organiser of La Ultra, the high ultra marathon in Ladakh discussed this issue. Hello doctor, welcome. Thanks for joining us here. Thank you. I am just enjoying the sun over here. It's surprisingly not very polluted over here. But yeah, let's just be very clear about this thing. We will be talking about pollution also in this conversation because we are talking about a run that is going to happen in pollution under the COVID cloud. So pollution is not visible but pollution is always there. As per numbers, right now I am near RK Puram and as per numbers it's around 170, 180, the AQI for PM 2.5 particles and I don't see any pollution as such. So that's the reality that we are living in. In Delhi, there is always pollution. Visible, non-visible, it doesn't matter. So have you been running? Let's start with that. No, I have not been. So actually, let me go back a little. Why? No, so I've been doing a couple of camps, so running camps for the last two and a half months. And the idea was yesterday, 22nd of November, was supposed to be a race yourself for you versus you, where you just over the 33 days, you can check yourself, how have you done? So yesterday was the 33rd day and I told everyone in Delhi NCR that please don't go out and run because it's pretty pathetic, it's bad air. And even building up to this for two weeks around Diwali time and all that, I told people please, I mean think of it. I'm putting the whole camp together and I'm telling them please don't go out and run because it's bad. So I've told them, maybe not even next Sunday, maybe the Sunday after that they should be doing. And so quite the opposite of what Pro Cam International, the organizers of daily half marathon they have been doing. Apparently the, I mean I was surprised actually that they have organized the half marathon in these circumstances because the primary circumstance is not pollution. The primary villain is not pollution over here because this pollution aspect we have spoken about. We ourselves have had this discussion last year, I've written quite a few articles on this. So the question now is the pandemic as well COVID-19 and how bad or difficult or risky it is to run outside. And there are two aspects to it. So firstly I'll just explain how the half marathon is being organized this time around. So there is an elite race for foreigners as well as Indians that's happening that's being staged in on Sunday, which is a closed race. No spectators, no mass participation as such. While the mass participation as happens over the course of two days where the runners can register themselves virtually using an app and then record their timing in their own location. And then they will get a virtual certificate based on their timing etc. But Procam have been one of their rules that they have discussed listed is that whoever is running they should follow the protocols prescribed by the state government or the local authorities at their place. And it's open for anybody to run across the world registration fee being $4.99 for Indians and $30 for foreigners. Yeah, so that's the scene but also at the same time two different aspects let's understand because you have been a marathon and you have been a race organizer yourself. And so marathon or running in general it's a social activity as far as India is concerned as far as the newbie runner or the prevailing regular runners you have seen in the last five, six years increase in population over I mean increase in numbers in across India. They all love to run in groups like it's a group activity is not an individual activity. And so I on a personal note spoke to many of the runners that I know many cyclists as well. About how do I whether they have registered for this off marathon this time around and how they're going to race it some of them are planning to do it alone but many of them are doing it in their running with their running club at Lothi Garden or Nehru Park or those spaces. And so it's it becomes a group activity so the organizers of the race program international have put it on the runners to be responsible, but, and so they absolve themselves of any responsibility but at the same time they are inviting people to take the risk. So how bad is that how unethical is that that's that's the point that I would want to ask you. How unethical is that. I would like to say request it request it. Okay, so here's the thing here. I think over last year or two, you know whatever has been happening in the world. It's very interesting what human beings are up to and you know, some people think, maybe you and me would disagree with people. You know what we are totally against, whether it be politics, whether it be religion, whatever you know whichever stance we are taking today. And it's, it's very tricky so as it is, even before pro cam ADHM was announced, even before that we were going to Shanti path. And you were to see people, you know how they were gathering together without masks. They were gathering on your own with or without a mask that's a separate issue. But 1520 more people gathering together, no mask, no distances from each other and all that. And any Sunday or not even any Sunday I mean, nowadays every day is a Sunday right. It's a year long holiday or a Sunday that's going on. And if you were to go to Shanti path and you know, that area, India gate and all that very crowded. We're just not being responsible, you know, we as human beings. And on top of that you have an ADHM, you know, I respect ADHM a lot, or I should rather say pro cam a lot for one thing. They brought running to the common man. It's not about an elite runner and all that and you know, hats off to the guys, I've been involved I've been part of the teams in separate, you know, different capacities. So a lot of respect on that front, having said that, the way they've been behaving with this whole pollution thing over the last two three years, very irresponsible in my opinion, very irresponsible because on one hand they are the ones who got people started. So let's be very clear on that front. Yeah, they are the biggest ones who may been the game changers and running in India. Okay, no one can take that away from them. But then to behave like this is kind of unexpected, because then expectations from people like me a lot higher from them. You know that ethical when you say unethical or ethical, right. That becomes a big issue. And this year around, go ahead for God's sake, right. It's not about pollution which will affect you 2030 40 years later this will kill you now. Right. We're promoting wrong things from people. I was just going through Facebook post and all that right now. Some very well respected people in the running community because ADHD will give them a platform, you know, they'll make a little poster for them or whatever else. And, you know, people are people. I think all of us have to play our role. So whether we are a race director, or whether we are, say, a president of a running club. We all have a role to play. And I'm just disappointed. I mean, I think that's the more important part rather than on ethical or ethical. Yeah, and let's just be very clear about this also that running. I mean, you have been a bit promoter of running for health for fitness for for activity for mental well being as well. But at the same time running is also a business. And so it's very clear where this comes from for program because holding an event makes sense financially covering up the losses making revenue for the for the year which which which probably has seen them go through uncertainty whether they would be able to hold this stage this event at all. And at the same time, the money considerations apart they have big events coming up. Arguably the biggest event in their portfolio is the Mumbai marathon which is coming up early Jan. I mean, late Jan. So next year. So that means this is like a testing the waters let's let's get get the daily guys to run and see how bad or how good it gets. But my biggest concern here is the timing of it which has always been right through whenever we have criticized for common this this aspect, because it's great to see people run for for sure. But we have always questioned the calendar. They always cited the calendar international calendar saying that we don't have a window at it. But, but then every time they promise that next time we will ensure that the critical period whether pollution peaks in Delhi, which is post Diwali and the and the prevalent weather conditions and also crop burning that happens in the neighboring states it all comes and converges in Delhi the pollution the particulate later. So if it can be moved backwards a couple of weeks then it makes sense but that kind of a understanding or or or or a will to do that it has been lacking to the to the years when if you look at the last few years when we have been questioning them. In fact, we have not just been questioning them we have had discussions with with with with the organizers with with the personal involved with with the top with the owners of rock and in fact, and that is one aspect of it. The second aspect is is how do you change how do you make the runners understand this because for them it's considered it's been drilled in that it's a challenge. It's a challenge you'll beat. I mean some people even believe that you're beating the pandemic or be a beating pollution by doing this. So how do you beat that. How do you how do you change that. Because this is this is again this narrative is I'm sorry to say that but the narrative part of it, you also have a role to play because you have you have portrayed running as a big deal. You know I have a role to play and you know that's why I guess I'm here. So a little, you know, just to add to what you said about me I've been running for 36 years so I started off as a elite runner all that stuff, you know wanting to represent the country and all that. So I started off there then last 20 plus years it's about you know, getting the world to run, whether it be being London or you know India in Bangalore or Delhi, Hyderabad, wherever. Right. So I think running is not only about health benefits, I think health benefits are secondary or tertiary that we look at. I think it's whole emotional part. The whole psychological part is a very important part you know like our need to connect with other people. We want to belong to a tribe. We're sick and tired of the whole rat race, you know it's totally there. So running is amazing. You know, it is important for the society to run move because right now, your non communicable diseases are everywhere. And what do you do? You need to be physically active. That's a very important part besides the nutrition part, besides the sleep psychology. So, you know, yes it's very important. But this whole argument about you know to become more immune to pollution, throw yourself in the pollution. You know, seriously I mean, how do you start that conversation? You know when someone throws that at you like you know, I don't know what to say to that because that's pretty, you know, the problem in today's world is common sense is not common anymore, right. You would think that hey listen it's pollution so you know be careful and it's this COVID. Let's be very clear. Anyone if you have not had it in your family and you're trying to act as if it will not happen to you. I have like 10 friends or more whose family members have died, right. I'm not saying very close but you know close enough that you know they pick up a phone and tell me about it as close as that at least, right. It's a real thing. In July I was sick with it. You know, I was affected. I was down, you know, current time myself in a room for a month. So I was like, you know, I was wanting to do Vipassana for a very long time and you know it happened automatically by default, you know, Vipassana was on, right. So it takes you to a place mentally, which you really don't like to be, you know, it messes you up more mentally than physically actually there's disease, right. Because at the end of the day I mean the two three things, you know, how serious can it get. That's one issue. The second thing is your family have you kind of infected them, right, your loved ones. So those are the two big issues that are going on. And one that, you know, I kind of experienced was, you know, it really doesn't matter. I mean, you know, all those good friends who would message you and all that. After a while, or if I were to pass, they would have said, huh, achha bandha tha, ganda bandha tha, you know, they would have made statements like that. But it's me and my immediate family which will be affected. And why can't people get that. It's for real. It's right here in midst of us, you know, of all of us. And we are behaving in a very poor way, all of us. So you just mentioned the rat race part of it. Last aspect, let's just wind it up after that. So it's, it's, it's unfortunate that activity which is supposed to take us out of that rat race or give us the larger meaning of, of existence. So to speak, the organizers of runs and marathons have gotten into a rat race, so to speak, the club, club runners or the club, the big club organizers or even the race organizers there. They're part of this last rat race where brands are involved money is involved. And so, so it's, it's, it's the reason why this is changed I believe one of the main factors is economic. And also, the organizers can and will cite the fact that across the world, marathons have happened in closed loop like like they have organized here Tokyo, it was held London it was held where runners ran. But, but at the same time these are cities where pollution is miniscule the pandemic is not raging when the Marathon was staged. So that makes us wonder what the authorities are at their stances on this part because there are restrictions on other activities. I mean so called restrictions because people again don't follow it. Diwali time. There was a restriction against bursting crackers but all over the place they were bursting crackers for instance so that way there is a blatant disregard for rules. As a marathon organizer, and you have cancelled your event I believe. So, how do you look at this, this aspect of it because across the world, of course races are being organized but then will you, is there peer pressure kind of a scene where you are forced to It's money pressure. Leslie it's money pressure it's not it's not peer pressure let's not fool ourselves. But I would put a very simple question out to the owners and the race director of this event. Imagine if their own immediate family member died of COVID. Right. I hope it doesn't happen that way. But would they have put this run together. Right. And the sad part about us humans are probably more, more so the Indians is it has to happen to immediately to us to wake up to what the problem is. Otherwise we don't. Otherwise it's always the other person never us. Right. Otherwise it's always a statistic, but when it happens to you exactly it's always a statistic one in a thousand one in a million all that random stuff right now I'll tell you, you know when you ask about cancelled my events. We've been putting together last 10 years. This was supposed to be the 11th year we cancelled our run in Ladakh. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a I'm a nutcase when it comes to putting races together I don't like simple runs like in a deli and all that. Then I'm putting, you know, making people run in the dark where people can potentially die. If they were to land in the dark and go to card on the same day they potentially have a chance or very high chances of dying the same day. I take all the precautions I make sure those you know they get early enough there and all that stuff. We've been doing it for the last 10 years. Arm forces come along you know, runners from across the world. We've had people from 23 countries coming to Iran. And this year we had taken the registration fees and yet cancelled it as early as February, March. We had events in Missouri, the naughty they're going to the naughty all that stuff. We cancelled those as early as that. Our governments had not woken up we cancelled them because we were very clear. Now what surprises me about this whole deli half marathon is, is the same government which has given them them permission. But on the other hand they turn around and say but in a wedding only 50 people are allowed. You know what, we can talk about this Leslie forever. I think we'll make no impact anyways, but but it's very sad what has happened to the society. Right. At times it's almost like, why are not more people up there being affected by COVID you almost wanting that to happen because they need to feel it themselves. Like what is it all about. And will only that make them up because this is sad how the things are right now. On that somber note, I mean, let's just wind up the conversation because like you say this is an ongoing thing and it's, it's, I don't see. I mean, any impact being made as far as the after marathon or the organizers of the after marathon is concerned because they have always been there a history of being responsible with pollution. And at the same time, it's, it's a two-point danger with COVID as well as as pollution. Thanks for the time, Doc, and it's always great talk to you, but yeah, this time on a somber note. Leslie, I just hope people take a, like a call on this themselves. I mean, see again, race organizer wants the money as simple as that. It's your life. It's your life at stake. Your loved ones lives at stake. So, you know, in closing, that's what I want to say to everyone that please, you adults, I know that I understand that totally. But please, it's not safe. If you're running next to each other, you're taking all those selfies with 50, 20, 30 people. What are we thinking here? Not safe. That's all we have time for today. We'll be back tomorrow with more news from the country and the world. Until then, keep watching.