Mumbai's kids drop cricket and football to join the running craze

Students of Nitin DSouza training at Juhu beach on Thursday evening picRane AshishEach day at 5 am 14yearold Yash Pandloskar makes it to Juhu beach for a run with coach Nitin Dsouza Its a routine he has been practising for over five years And one that he hasnt lost interest in My parents had enrolled me for cricket coaching but I didnt enjoy it I got bored because I had been keen on pursuing sprinting After I spoke to my father he found out about our coach and enrolled me here instead says Pandloskar a national level sprinter Last year he participated in an athletics competition organised by AISM an interschool event where he set a record with a timing of 118 seconds for 100 metresInterestingly when Pandloskar started his training there were only a handful of kids at Dsouzas class Today he runs with 30 others who turn up early morning without fail for the twohour session The group also includes Pandloskars 11yearold sister KavyaPandloskars statement about an increasing turnout stands attested because early on a Thursday evening we find almost a quarter of the beach filled with children receiving athletics coaching Even in the harsh glint of the 5 pm sun its hard to miss trainer Dsouzas students running across the length of the shore clad in bright orange Tshirts We have two batches one in the morning and another before sundown Since school vacations are on children prefer the evening slot says Dsouza who has been coaching kids for 10 years His youngest student is his fiveyearold daughter LizanneNitin DSouzas students receive training at Juhu beach PicRane AshishThe dream runThe running boom which was more or less restricted to adults who would sweat it out on promenades and pavements to maintain a healthy lifestyle and battle illnesses has now caught the imagination of a younger audience Priyadarshini Park at Napean Sea Road Kamala Nehru Park at Malabar Hill and Juhu beach have become fitness spots to train children Giles Drego a coach who has been training marathoners for 12 years feels the craze for running has picked up after the launch of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon Now all of India is running Having said that most people are not running correct but the idea has caught on that if you run youll be fit he saysDsouza who also trains actor Sonali Bendres son Ranveer 12 says most often hes approached by two kinds of parents mdash those who want to sign up their kids to keep them fit and those who want them to bag medals I had a student who was training with me a couple of months ago Initially it was smooth But later his parents started hinting that they want their child to break a record he recalls adding that the pressure started mounting when they were hardly two months into the training Dsouza then handed them the record book and showed them the past record of a child who had broken a 100 metre record at eight Sadly after that the childs name did not feature anywhere in the books I told the parents that if you want me to train your child please dont ask me to deliver records Give me four to five years I will do justice to your kid he saysThe Andheri West resident who also organises athletic meets for ICSE schools says its common for parents to withdraw the child from training when they notice the childs classmates performing better and eventually move on to another coach You invest in a kid and then suddenly he stops coming because the parent feels if the child is not bringing medals the coach is not good enoughHarish Suvarna coach director at Goenka Education Trust which runs the Lakshdham High School in Goregaon feels coaches can sometimes go overboard with training Sometimes a coach doesnt understand how much a child needs to be trained Parents see competition all around them and want results soon Coaches exploit them to such a level they are not able to perform later he explains Harish gives us the example of Olympic champion Usain Bolt who had no record to his name before 14 If you see his history theres no prior record or any achievement under 8 Under 8 under 12 and under 14 are developing stages where we can develop a childs strength and flexibility he saysRashmi Harlalka a Marine Drive resident runs with her daughter Sia PICMilind SaukarCatch em youngFive says Dsouza is the ideal age to start However its important to go slow and make sure the child enjoys the training Running is essentially a boring sport from the perspective of a child Kids often crib so I introduce different types of games and new props like kettlebells and medicine balls to sustain interest he explainsAthlete and fitness coach Ayesha Billimoria has been training children in running since 2011 Three days a week the Khetwadi resident holds an hourlong session that includes core strengthening exercises stretching partner work and group activities along with running I started classes for children because the need of the hour is to teach not to tell Kids need to learn how to run correctly at a young age Every runner should understand proper breathing posture and foot strike If they decide to stop midway its alright because the basics will remain with them forever says the 30yearold who goes by the handle fitgirlindia on Instagram and teaches the art of functional movement to children and adults Billimoria feels its a lot easier to train children because they come with less baggage Adults have a rigid mindset Children are more receptive and their muscle memory stays for years she saysShrinking playgrounds in schools and more focus on academics is making parents look outside of school for the required dose of exercise Rashmi Harlalka a Marine Drive resident enrolled her soccerloving daughter Sia with Billimoria a year ago When we were kids running was part of our school activities Now because most schools dont have a playground students dont have the opportunity to run she rues The training she adds has had tangible results with Sia growing health conscious Shes more careful of posture and eating habits It has certainly made her more confident she says Seeing the change Rashmi and her husband Saket also have started running and even completed the 21 km run at the Mumbai Marathon this yearAyesha Billimoria in orange and kids do some strengthening exercises at Hanging Gardens PicSuresh KarkeraNo rat raceOf course where there are runners there will be marathonsKidathons that involve 100m 200m 500m 3 km and 5 km races for kids below 15 are not uncommon Juniorthon the first organised marathon for children to take place in the city in December 2015 was a product of the growing interest among parents to encourage their kids to take to running Party Sharty Entertainment the event management company that specialises in developing sporting events for corporates would receive several phone calls in a day from eager parents Most of them were runners themselves and hence knew the importance of the sport They would complain that theres no organised racing event for children Thats when we felt the time was ripe says Khushboo Chauhan a senior executive from Party Sharty Held at MMRDA grounds in Bandra East last December the event saw an overwhelming participation from 3200 kids between the age of six and 14 last yearNitin DsouzaWe decide the distance for a particular age group after adequate consultation with fitness experts and doctors she says For instance the 05km is meant for the 6 to 8 age group 1 child 1 parent 1 km for under 11 2 km for under 13 4 km for under 15Ajay Nikam who is part of a private group that organises the Ghatkopar Marathon has been conducting a kidathon since 2015 The race is a charitable initiative that supports NGOs like BJ Wadia Hospital for Children which helps underprivileged children diagnosed with cardiac problems and GODS MBA Foundation that provides care to the disabled Last year the turnout was close to 1500 The 40yearold ensures that they are equipped to handle emergencies We keep a doctor and ambulance on call and professional runners to guide kids he saysManohar Rodrigues of a citybased nonprofit group of passionate runners called the Mumbai Road Runners says currently Juniorthon is the only organised marathon for kids while the rest are held alongside adult races For instance at the Standard Chartered Marathon there are kids who do the dream run but they dont get any recognition for itHaving an event just for kids involves logistical challenges with a small distance to cover he says