Tribal runner Narayan Pawara wins Singapore Under-19 10-km run; fellow runner Somnath Pawara collapses once before completing the full marathon that he entered by mistake
Running abroad for the first time was always going to be a unique experience for Somnath Pawara. But for the tribal runner from Shirpur Taluka of Dhule district in Maharashtra, it turned out to be more than what he prepared for. Somnath, 19, participated in the 21-km Singapore half marathon yesterday, but accidentally joined the runners of the full marathon and ended up finishing the 42-km race.
ADVERTISEMENT
Somnath Pawara after finishing the Singapore full marathon yesterday. He started in the half marathon
It all started well for the tribal runner, who tried to match his speed with fellow runners from Kenya and other countries in the half marathon. Then the unexpected happened - he changed lanes. "I did not read the signboard properly and accidentally entered the full marathon lane. I found it very tough as I had never been part of a 42 km race. Though I lost a chance to excel in the half marathon, I was delighted with my performance in the full race. After all, I completed this gruelling event," Somnath told mid-day from Singapore yesterday.
While running bare-footed in the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon last August, Somnath completed the 10km race in seventh place with a timing of 34 mins, 30 secs. Yesterday, he completed his first full marathon with a timing of 3:56:03. All tribal runners wore shoes for this event. "It was hard on him and he collapsed after 22 kms. He was taken to the medical center where he was revived. He was determined to complete the race, so he got up without wasting time," said Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (SVKM-NMIMS) vice-chairman Navin Shetty from Singapore, who sponsored this tribal runner.
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
