Yes, they can! Women show the way

Meet the senior citizen who won't slow down

Sixty-six-year-old Daksha Kanavia is quite a trailblazer. While most women her age spend their life in the confines of their cozy little corner at home, Kanavia chose to work on her health. Setting an example for all and sundry, this retired bank manager participated in the DNA iCAN five kilometre 'Fun Marathon'.

"I started paying heed to my health six years ago after retiring from my job," Kanavia said. "I am diabetic and did not want to get bed ridden so early. My doctor had suggested that I should go for walks and jogs," she adds.

Daksha Kanavia

A quick chat with this spirited woman will let you know that nothing can break her spirit, not even multiple ankle injuries. Enjoying her fourth marathon to the fullest she says, "I wish I had started this a little earlier in life."

Kanavia didn't participate alone; she motivated eight of her friends to join her at the marathon. She also said that these events give her the opportunity to socialise.

And, if this wasn't encouragement enough, Primla Hingorani proved that age and agility can co-exist in peace. Fondly known as Aunty 72, Hingorani also took part in the Fun Marathon. "I have been into running since the time I was in college and haven't till date suffered from any major health issue. I love jogging and exercising because it keeps me fit," she said.

Cancer survivor encourages others to join the race

Cancer survivor Sonali Patil (in black) with her friends

Inspiring other women in her life, 49-year-old cancer survivor Sonali Patil, a resident of Prabhadevi, tagged four of her friends along to partake in the 5 km Fun Run at the DNA iCAN marathon.

Narrating her story of motivation, Patil said, "After successfully battling cancer four years ago, I started participating in marathons to stay fit. This is my bit towards supporting a social cause. Being a cancer survivor, I urge my friends to take care of their health as much as possible, and take part in marathons."

Rubina Sayed Karmali, 39, said, "Our kids study in the same school and that's how we became friends. We usually accompany each other while participating in marathons. These are the times when we a take a break from our routine lives and do something for ourselves instead."

While it was the fourth time Patil was participating, it was the third time for her friends. 30-year-old Juveria Mabarwal said, "Patil inspired us to join her at the marathon. It is a fun event and inspires us to stay fit. Through this initiative, many women like us, have taken out time for themselves and their health."

A five-year-old tot is now a marathon veteran

Khushi Khaneja with her family members

Khushi Khaneja, a student of Divine Child School in Andheri is aged just a little over five but has been participating in the DNA iCAN for three consecutive years now. Khaneja was speeding away, keeping her family members on their toes.

Khushi's father, who is a fitness enthusiast, introduced her to running. She was at iCAN with her aunt Himali Chavan, a banker, as her mother was out of town. "She has been up since 5 am in the morning and was very excited. Her father is a regular marathon runner and Khushi has participated in several too," Chavan said.

Khaneja, who is too shy to speak, only shook her head in agreement when asked if iCAN was the only marathon she had participated in. Chavan herself is a regular runner. "Earlier I would participate in the 21-km run, but now I only take part in the 5 km run. Running makes me feel alive. It is a nice feeling to be physically fit. Since I don't exercise regularly, I never miss a chance to run at marathons," Chavan said. "It feels great to be a part of events like this. There are so many people here who come just to cheer for their close ones, but you really end up feeling like you are all as much a part of this event," she said. Khaneja's parents are certain that they want little Khushi to actively participate in sports.

Women constables of Maha police win 5 out of 9 medals

(From Left): Josefin, Priyanka Navkudkar, Varsha Bhavani, Saigeeta Naik, Soniya Mokal, Swapnita padekar, Shridevi Mhetre, Divya Padvi, Jyoti Punjabi

On Saturday morning, as the DNA iCAN marathon's 6th edition flagged off, little did the marathoners know that a handful of policewomen would walk away with five medals out of the nine categories. Women from Maharashtra police force won two golds, two silvers, and one bronze medal.

Three out of the five women police constables are associated with the Mumbai Police, one with Pune police force and the other from Solapur. Saigeeta Naik who stood first in this year's 21 kilometre marathon, had come second in the 5th edition of DNA iCAN.

Varsha Bhavani who was the first runner-up for the same race, said, "Now I want to focus on national-level races, marathons, and games. I am extremely happy that I won the marathon."

On winning the gold medal, Naik said, "I am extremely happy that I won the first prize and could represent Mumbai Police. I will continue my training and adjust my timings so that I can take part in other marathons as well."

Priyanka Navkudkar of Mumbai police came third in the 10 kilometre run. Swapnita Padekar of Pune police and Shridevi Mhetre of Solapur police won gold and silver medals in the five kilometre race respectively.

Speaking about their victory, their coach Bhima More said, "The girls are getting trained by the Maharashtra State Police. They have been with us for the past three years and had received training for the marathon for the last three months at the Mahalaxmi race course, Mumbai. They were also on a special diet."

Husband beams as wife runs her first marathon

Satish Patel with wife Purnima Patel

Yes, come on, you can do it!" cheered an excited Satish Patel, a resident of Borivli, who encouraged his wife to run her first marathon. Patel ran the 10 km DNA iCAN Marathon along with his wife.

Satish would always encourage his 41-year-old wife, Purnima Patel, to participate in the event in a bid to stay healthy.

"I have participated in a number of marathons in the past few years. I would take part in similar events because I was overweight. I took charge of my life and started exercising daily in preparation for long-distance runs".

Spurred on by her spouse, Purnima began preparing 20 days before the marathon. "Since I do not exercise regularly, preparing for the marathon was a challenge initially. I would even have breathing difficulty. My husband encourage me to give it (the marathon) a shot. I decided to challenge my limits," she said.

Purnima Patel finished the run in one hour and 26 minutes, and looks to better her time at the next marathon. "I am aiming for the 21 km run. I will push myself to reach that goal," she said.

'Mom challenged me; I had to prove her wrong'

Krit Shah with father Ritesh Shah

Nine-year-old Krit Shah had a point to prove. A challenge made to his mother egged him on to be a part of this otherwise all-women marathon.

According to the little boy, he has been going for brisk walks and runs since he was three. While he believes that being in the pink of health is important, that wasn't the only reason he participated. The fourth standard student is also a sports enthusiast. He enjoys playing throw ball, badminton, and cricket as a hobby but his main focus is on tennis. "I get up in the morning every day and practice tennis with my dad, and at times play badminton with my mother too. However, I get tired quite often. I participated in this marathon to increase my stamina," Krit said.

Besides this, the challenge he took also motivated him to be a part of the run. Often rebuked for being low on stamina and lean, he wanted to prove to his mother wrong. "I wanted to prove to my mom that I am not low on stamina and I am dedicated. Mom will be very happy if I win the marathon," he said.

Ritesh Shah, who ran with Krit to motivate him shared the real driving factor. "My wife often complains about his lack of appetite, which is not good for his tennis training. Hence she made a bet, challenging him to complete the five-kilometre marathon," he said.

'My mother motivated me to participate in the run'

Vasundhara Sharma with daughter Momita Sharma

As the 5 kilometre Fun Marathon kicked off, runners set off to complete it at the earliest. Among the many motivated runners were the mother-daughter duo Vasundhara Sharma and Momita Sharma. Momita was extremely motivated and ran the marathon at the behest of her mother.

Momita (44) says that her 72-year-old mother is the reason behind her participating in the event. "I can lay like a vegetable all day if given an opportunity but I'm also a workaholic. Since I am not very active, my mother persuaded me to start taking care of my health and that is how the marathon happened," Momita said. "My mother and I are very different," she said, adding that, "even though she has a history of knee and ankle injury, she wants to continue walking."

Talking fondly about her mother, Momita said, "Days before the marathon, my mother actually started practicing and mapping her time as well just so that we finish the race in lesser time." The duo finished the 5 km walk in one hour.

When asked about the secret of her undying enthusiasm, Vasundhara said, "It gives me peace and keeps me fit. I have made it my routine and don't want to break it. I have been going for walks for fifty years now. Quite literally, it keeps me on my toes."

(PICS: DINESH PARAB, HEMANT PADALKAR, AADESH CHOUDHARI, EMMANUAL YOGINI, SALMAN ANSARI, VIBHAV BIRWATKAR, ASHWINI SAWANT, ABHINAV P KOCHAREKAR)