The method one adopts to stay fit – be it gymming, running or power yoga – is quite personal. Even more personal is what one chooses to wear while doing so! However, if you look around, be it in your gym or even a park, it seems like sports shoes and tracks are vital components in your fitness journey. Running enthusiasts now seem to wonder if the search for the perfect running outfit or the discomfort they face in tracks keeps them away from running altogether. So supermodel Milind Soman, founders and ambassador of one of India’s most popular women’s marathon, Pinkathon, asks, “We have gradually discovered that a lot of these ladies were not very comfortable running in track pants or shorts. But it is indeed a myth that there’s a particular kind of attire necessary for running.” Milind himself has broken quite a few myths associated with fitness and running. You would never see him run in sport’s shoes, rather he takes to the tracks barefeet at times.
So come Sunday, Hyderabadis will see ladies running in a sari if they can make it to KBR Park around 6 am. Milind will join the ladies of the Global 100 Saree Pact (founded by Santha John with administrators Tejdeep Kaur Menon and Veni La) as the they encourage ladies to run in whatever they are comfortable in. If you remember the video of Milind hitting the roads keeping pace with his sari-clad mother then this sight will not surprise you, because some of them will indeed run in Narayanpet saris. Not only are these ladies highly comfortable running in saris, but they have also joined forces with a non-governmental organisation called Abhihaara by founder Sudha Rani, who are promoting the cause of Narayanpet weavers. Vishala Reddy, instrumental behind getting the two group together, says, “Pinkathon has always encouraged people to run in traditional attire if that’s what they are comfortable in.”
The cause here is two-fold: to create a more inclusive environment where one is not discouraged from taking up running because they don’t have the ‘apt’ outfit to do so. Milind says, the women are welcome to run in any outfit, be it a sari or a burqa, whatever makes them comfortable. The second one is to promote Narayanpet handloom, crafted by local weavers. The former supermodel says that there’s only one thing the ladies who register for the three-kilometre promo run need to keep in mind. “Just come with a positive frame of mind and enjoy yourself.” That’s all the prep needed according to Milind; expensive sports shoes are a passé!
The Saree Run with Milind Soman, hosted by Pinkathon, the Global 100 Sari Pact
will take place 6 am onwards.
Registration: Free