When Ajit Kumar Mukherjee was born, George V was the emperor of India and Lord Irwin was the viceroy.
Mukherjee was born on June 1, 1929. That makes him 95. He is the oldest participant in The Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata, partnered by The Telegraph, slated for Sunday. Mukherjee has signed up for the Senior Citizens’ Run (2.3km)
Mukherjee is a TSW 25K debutant. But for the past 20 years, he has been a regular morning walker at Rabindra Sarobar. “I work out every day. I prefer visiting the bank and post office by myself. I want to feel the festive spirit of the marathon. That is why I got myself enrolled,” said Mukherjee.
The retired chartered accountant lives in Dhakuria and is a member of a Rabindra Sarobar-based health club.
Saniya P., 19, a TSW 25K debutant, is among the youngest runners in the 25km segment. The BBA student in Mumbai started running during Covid.
“It clicked from the start. There is no better sport,” said Saniya, who has taken part in marathons in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
A teacher and a running pro who traces her roots to Darjeeling will guide a group of 10K amateurs on Sunday.
Alina Goperama, who will lead the 55-minute pace, teaches aspiring teachers at a teacher-training institute in Salt Lake.
The 10km segment has an all-women pacers’ team.
A pacer, or a pace-setter, is a veteran runner who sets a steady pace throughout the course and leads a group of runners from the start to the finish at the predetermined time. In running parlance, a group following a pacesetter is called a bus.
The pacer must finish just a few minutes before the promised time.So, if you have joined the sub-2:30 bus, the pace-setter will look to lead you through the finish line somewhere between 2:25 and 2:29 hours.
“Running is about facing challenges and overcoming them. I am excited to be part of such an important running event,” said Alina, who knows a thing or two about overcoming challenges. Her other passion is high-altitude trekking.
The ninth edition of the race will have 20,537 runners, the highest ever. The number was 17,557 in 2023.