To celebrate victory over odds,these men will run the marathon

For 16-year-old Sanket Bhirud,the marathon is a like a dream come true. “I have wanted to run at the marathon for the past four years but I could not get trained because of my impaired vision. A year ago I took up swimming that has given me strength to run 21 km,” says Sanket. He bagged the first prize at the Maharashtra State Paralympics Swimming Championship and represented Maharashtra in the National Paralympics Swimming Competition for the Blind. “I have been practising running on the treadmill since three weeks’,” adds Sanket.

The 2.5 km-wheelchair run will see 43-year-old Manoj Khaire participating for the fifth time. Khaire,whose legs were deformed due to polio when he was two,was instrumental in getting the wheelchair event organised in 2005. “I will run for the fifth year on my wheelchair. If we can play sports like badminton and tennis on the wheelchair I can definitely participate in the marathon,” says Khaire who runs an STD booth for a living.

To support the Smoke-free Mumbai Campaign of NGOs like Action Council against Tobacco,Salaam Bombay,Ahar and Healis over 500 students from civic schools will participate in the run. The students will be accompanied by 20 doctors from the Tata Memorial Hospital. Professor Surendra Shastri of Preventive Oncology,Tata Hospital,says,“This campaign will aim at creating awareness about passive smoking and the existing law that bans smoking in public places.” 142 NGOs and 102 corporate companies have registered for the event.