For women who think waking up on a Sunday morning in March to run even 3km is definitely a no no, maybe supermodel and iron man Miland Soman’s presence will give you some incentive to get out of your home.
With the women-centric running event Pinakthon finally coming to Kolkata after it’s success in other cities like Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru, the city of joy is gearing up to get women from all walks of life onto the streets of Kolkata.
It doesn’t matter whether you have never been into fitness. It doesn’t matter if you are 5 years old or 50 years old. It doesn’t matter whether you are working professional, housewife or even a grandmother.
Here is your chance to come out and see what it takes to sweat it out and enjoy the run. You don’t need fancy running gear nor do you need to fall into the criteria of being young to run the Pinakthon.
You can run in track pants, a saree or even a burkha.
The idea is to get women out of their homes and away from their busy schedules of handling the household and realise the benefits of taking care of their health.
It is this awareness that Miland Soman hopes to spread in Kolkata.
“The reason we came to Kolkata last is because there were no runners before. I was told people in Kolkata like to eat. Now there are some running groups which is good. Someone asked me why the Pinkathon was not in Kolkata. I thought that was a good sign.”
Pinkathon supports various causes like breast cancer awareness and hence every Pinkathon participant is entitled to a free medical check-up or a mammogram if a participant is above 45 years of age. Says Dr.Rupali Basu, CEO Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, “There is a perception that cancer is the end of everything but this is not true today.
If you get that diagnosed early, it is curable and this has not gone into everyone’s mind. Also partnering with initiatives like Pinkathon will help more women and their families get more active and lead a healthy lifestyle.” Soma Hela who is part of the West Bengal Police is a breast cancer survivor and will be sending out a message while running the Pinkathon on the 26th of March.
Pinkathon also supports fitness for babywearing mothers and the visually impaired and persons with similar disabilities. The Pinkathon in Kolkata is a 3km, 5km and 21km event that looks to garner a lot of registrations and people supporting the cause of a healthy way of life for women.