Endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers that hit a runner hard with euphoria, keep Radio Mirchi’s RJ Bhargavi Lavanya on the go. She can’t deny but say, “I haven’t experienced the ‘runners high’ off late, but about five to six years ago, euphoria hit me hard. I am still running for the very feeling.” On Sunday morning, she ran along with more than 40,000 runners on 26.2 kilometres in Chicago to look for it, and she found it. “It was a dream,” she says, has come true.
She was the ambassador for the Pinkathon 10-k (the country’s most prominent women’s marathon). “When I did Pinkathon in 73 minutes, I thought I could do it, and I could run. I felt the euphoria, which relieves pain from endurance, and this burst of level-headed satisfaction, I wanted to do it all the more,” says Bhargavi.
Since then, Bhargavi has registered the world’s major marathons in Berlin, New York and now Chicago. Being a part of an enormous marathon is no game and being an Indian and participating in the marathon is something that Bhargavi is happy about. She says, “For a recreational runner like me, it’s an honour to participate in global marathons and represent the country.” She always carries a national flag with her, which she salutes after the marathon.
“One marathon will change your life, and I feel when you can do it, you can do anything in life,” she says, adding her inspiration: “Our Hyderabad runners always stood; some of them run an ultra marathon. They are my inspiration. Also, Eliud Kipchoge, the fastest man on earth, reminds me that no human is limited.”
Speaking about the challenges while running and the not-so-used-to temperate weather for an Hyderbad-bound RJ, she says, “Running itself is a huge challenge, but it is good for you. It keeps one active and takes a step closer towards a healthy lifestyle. The biggest challenge for me was the weather; training in a country where the temperatures are warm and comparing it with single-digit temperatures in temperate zones of the western countries I have run in. I practice pranayama for better breathing to keep me comfortable while running.”
She sends a message to runners who take her as an example: “People look up to me; I say it is all about managing time. I am a fitness freak and always want a healthy lifestyle, as you only live once and don’t know what happens next. When something makes you happy, do more of it; running makes you happy as it releases happy hormones. Have a good lifestyle and go for it.” In the near future, the marathoner aims to hit London, Tokyo, and Boston streets. This apart, the upcoming Mumbai half marathon will not be a miss.