Over years, the rallying cry of supporters of marathoners at the start/ finish line has been “don’t stop running, finish strong!” The joking request that spurs this response is, “Can I stop now?” Our dauntless runners never stop before they hit the finish line.
We added the 10k race, as more new runners wanted to experience the much talked about KTM route.
The race has grown gradually, and in five years, the trail reached a point, where we could not support more runners.
Instead of closing at “sold out”, we decided to make it into a weekend affair. We spun off the 10k to the Saturday of the KTM weekend, and the half marathon & marathon were on Sunday. This way, we could support about 2,000 runners each year.
The route is not just beautiful, it is also a tough taskmaster. The impossibly green landscape, the paddy and sugarcane fields, the beautiful village scenes, the bullock cart that is always blocking your route as you run, the gurgling noises of the canal, a tributary of the life giving river Kaveri… there is no one thing about the route that is not eye catching. What makes it tough is that the sun is overhead and blazing down relentlessly, increasing humidity levels on the trail. Runners therefore have to hydrate smart, and replenish fluids periodically, to avoid cramps, dehydration, hyponatremia, and a host of other race-stopping issues. The route is not only pure trail (and therefore uneven), it is also undulating, but in a way that you don’t experience it immediately. The increase and dip in elevation is only evident when you pay attention to your sudden change in breathing, for reasons you can’t explain, accompanied by a sudden sting in the quadriceps.
Finish line euphoria, is unparalleled, whether the finisher has been looking at the race as a bucket list, or is one of the many, for whom KTM is a must do race, penciled into their running calendar each year. There are quite a few runners who have graced our race, after running races such as Comrades, Marathon des Sables, Badwater etc. We are prouder still of those, who experience the KTM, and then graduate on to these famed international races, and more!
In 2016, KTM finished a glorious 10 years, and to celebrate it, we offered our returning runners discounted entry. Our special edition race finisher t-shirts and the unique art on it (by frequent podium finisher, and old-time RFLer, Athreya Chidambi) holds a special place in the hearts of many.
The legend of KTM lives on, and grows stronger with each passing year.
