‘Not all heroes wear capes’!

In the chronicles of marathon history, tales abound of tenacious runners who, confronted with obstacles, unfurl narratives of triumph through their unyielding resolve and remarkable resilience.

Whether it is the searing pain in the knees, cramps in the leg, or side stitches in the stomach, everything that comes in the way is met with a stoic embrace, transforming each stride into a rhythmic cadence of fortitude. They are tales of them soaring high in the sky, and, after digging deep down into some previously untapped well of courage, smashing through on the road to the finish line.

‘It is a huge risk. Forget crossing the finish line, there is no way you can even run for 30 minutes, Dad. What if something really bad happens to you? How will I survive? Who will take care of me? Why do you need to do this?' The barrage of questions showed no signs of abating, and so did 42-year-old visually-challenged Mahesh Aroor's appetite to excel in races.

While training unassisted in 2022, Aroor rammed into a parked car on his training path, near Grant Road railway station. He needed stitches in his left arm and wondered whether it was worth it to keep running. On Sunday, as he walked onto the Victoria Terminus to start the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2024 along with his guide and 14-year-old son Pritesh, he could sense other runners moving around him but only saw blurs of shadow and light.

Although he has relished crossing the finish line at over 50 marathons to date, each race brings some uncertainty, he admits. "I don't like to say that in front of my son. I like to appear very strong, because he only has me in this world. My wife left me following my accident, which was only two years after our son was born. I was forced to resign after the incident, but took up a teaching job to look after myself and my son. Life betrayed me, but I found a way to hit back at it, through running. Running helps me forget all my worries," Aroor told Mid-Day.

Eight years ago, while Aroor was on his way to work, a fatal road accident left him with a head injury that permanently impaired his sight. He uses sounds to help guide him through marathons. He has never run into anyone during a race, he says, but takes a hard fall every now and then because he can't see potholes in the road.

"I have assisted three runners before Aroor Sir. Being a runner myself, it is a matter of great honour to be able to help others," said 23-year-old Paresh Tewatia, as he ran slightly ahead of Aroor, pointing out obstacles that could trip up his partner.

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Barely a few metres away from Aroor, Maithili Sahu took two quick puffs on her inhaler and went about a quarter of a mile before reaching for her inhaler again. As the miles ticked away, images of her life scrolled through her mind like a virtual scrapbook. The longer she ran, the deeper it went. "When I'm running, I spend a lot of time ruminating. That keeps my focus away from the psychological fear of being unable to breathe. Overcoming my fear was never easy, just like my marriage of 12 years. But nothing is permanent, not even pain. So, I have learnt to live with it as long as I can," Sahu, 37, says. "You can't hide from the past. We get stronger physically only if our minds are strong enough to overcome any misery."

Sahu had been 11 seconds in advance at mid-race as spectators lining the course, many waving Indian flags, loudly cheered her on. ‘You can do it, Sahu', screamed a few.

The homemaker-turned-chef was diagnosed with asthma after the birth of her third child five years ago. "Sports was never in the scheme of things for me. I was content with being a housewife, but there came a stage where I had no choice but leave my abusive marriage and move on for a better way of living. I can't remember a single day when I was not abused, but I accepted that as a way of my life. 2020 changed my life entirely. A year after I left my husband, I met an ultra-marathon runner and she introduced me to running, and life has been amazing ever since. Bola na, sab thik ho jata hai (Told you, everything gets better with time)," said Sahu.

"That's when I learned the power of running as an effective tool for working through your own emotions."

Asthma attacks and the fear that comes with them have been part of Sahu's life for as long as she could remember. "When I was first introduced to running, I could not even run continuously for five minutes. It felt like someone was smothering me with a pillow. I was really scared that if I ever truly ran out of breath, I would never recover and die. For asthmatics especially, it is never easy. Winters make it worse for the respiratory tract and can trigger deadly attacks. In the summer, you have to set off early, before the sun is out, or the heat will make it too difficult to breathe," she said. And yet, she persevered.

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When Rosie Varghese was 13 years old, her parents took her and her siblings to watch the opening edition of the Mumbai Marathon (in 2004). The course ran through their LJ Road neighbourhood in Mahim, and Varghese stood on the sidewalk wide-eyed with amazement at the runners striding down the street. "Did I ever think I would someday run it?" she quips. "Never!"

Unlike Rosie, her eldest sister was an active kid, jumping into pickup football games and later running track at the public elementary school. Then one day, she lost her forever. "It was mid-May. We kids were fooling around in the pool and decided to play a game where the one who could hold his breath for the longest time would be the winner and given five candies…(breaking down)...she was very fond of candies, you know…and she lost her life because of it. We all were too young to understand that we lost her forever that day. I can and will never forgive myself, I could have helped her that day, but I didn't," said Rosie, tears welling up in her eyes.

"That's why I began running, because it makes me believe that she's here with me. In the beginning, I couldn't run a quarter of a mile, but I had made up my mind that I'm doing this for my sister."

In 2018, when her husband asked if she wanted to run the Mumbai Marathon, she agreed. It was her first race and, for a debutant, she did really well. "After that, I have never skipped running."

Rosie says her athletic pursuits have inspired her daughter, now five, to set her own goals. "I see my sister in her. She means the world to me. Through her, my sister stays with us and will forever be here. I hope my daughter can one day make her aunt proud," she said, her voice trembling with tears once again.