07 June,2017 11:50 AM IST | Pune | Chaitraly Deshmukh
As a tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his coronation day on Tuesday, a Thane youth ran 273 km, from Shivneri Fort to Raigad Fort, in 34.42 hours
A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji at Raigad Fort. Pic/Uday Devrukhkar
As a tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on his coronation day on Tuesday, a Thane youth ran 273 km, from Shivneri Fort to Raigad Fort, in 34.42 hours.
Ravi Gorakh Aawari (22) is the son of vegetable vendors and a final year student of electronics and communications at the KJ Educational Institute in Pune.
A follower of Shivaji, he had been preparing for the run for a year. "To pay tribute to the king who is an inspiration to many youngsters, I decided to dedicate this run to him. I travelled by bus and cycle on the route to familiarise myself with it, and interacted with the locals as well. My parents were not aware about my run, but they came to know after I completed it. I reached Shivneri Fort (where Shivaji was born) at 4 am on June 4. I climbed it for the Maharaj's blessing and started running," Aawari said.
"Every three hours I rested for 10 minutes. I did not sleep at all. It rained, so things were a bit difficult. But I was determined to fighting against all the odds and finish it."
Aawari completed his feat at 2.42 pm on June 5.
"I had kept a target of 36 hours but managed to complete it before that. I am happy... the run has some of the best moments of my life," he added. Yesterday, he was felicitated for his achievement by Shivaji's descendants at the Raigad Fort.
Talking about his plans, he said he wanted to serve the Indian Railways. He also said that due to his family's financial condition, he cannot afford to take proper coaching in athletics, and hence, practises on his own. He has earlier participated in a mountain run at Malshej Ghat.
Aawari said, "I wanted to be an athlete and pursue engineering, but considering my family's financial background, I knew that I would have to sacrifice one of the two, and I chose to give up the sport. Running is my stress buster. I run for two hours every day."
Aawari wants his achievement of running for 273 km in 34.42 hours to feature in the Limca Book of Records as well as other record books. And for this, he said, he even got a videographer on board to record his run, promising to pay him some day.
36 hrs
The target the 22-year-old had kept to complete the run
34.4hrs
The time in which he managed to run from one fort to the other
