India Part V: Airtel Delhi Half Marathon and Final Thoughts

I was very sad leaving WSOS, and as we drove pass the sanctuaries on our way out, my heart weighed heavy.  The distance from Agra to Delhi is only about 130 miles, but it takes about 3.5 hours to travel that distance by car.  We could have taken the train, but I thought seeing some of the country of India by car would be interesting. We drove through several small villages before we reached the Yamuna Expressway.  This expressway could have been in the Unites States.  It was very modern, and the drivers actually stay in lanes.  In India, no one stays in their lane.  Our driver told us that you need three things to drive in India – 1.) good brakes  2.) good horn  3.) good luck. 

When we reached Delhi, our first stop was to Akshardham.  This place was heavily secured.  You could not take pictures on the campus.  It is a Hindu spiritual cultural complex.  I admired the magnificence of the architecture, but other than that, we were all rather bored.  I was disappointed to learn the building was just ten years old so there was no historic significance for me.  Perhaps it was my mood (as I missed WSOS), but this visit was my least favorite, and I think my family shared the same sentiments. 

We rented a three bedroom apartment in Delhi, and after picking up my race bib, our driver took us to our apartment.  Did I mentioned Dylan and I were running the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon?  I learned that it was being held while we were in India so I altered our itinerary so that we could do it.  The air is terrible in Delhi, and I mean T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E!  The moment you step outside--it is just overwhelming but after a few minutes, you gradually are able to tolerate it.  Lance was against me running, but I’m stubborn.  I did have a gas mask (exclusively for running), but Dylan nor I ran with it.  Delhi is one of the most polluted cities in the world.

So how was this half marathon?  I give it 5 stars.  It was comparable if not better than many of the US races I have run.  The dri-fit tech shirt was perfect. It had a zippered pocked which fit my GUs.  The port-o-potties were well organized, and they separated the men and women.  The longest line had maybe 10 people in front of me.  In the US—you never see that.  This wasn’t a small race either.  There were over 33,000 people running the races of which 13,000 were running the half marathon. 

What I really loved about the race was the corral set up. First, you had to submit proof of your estimated finish time by showing a timing certificate from a previous race. Secondly, you could not cut into another faster corral.  It was actually set up like a corral where all the runners were in confined space, and they would open the gates when it was your turn to run.  This was so well done because I did not have to spend the first 2 miles weaving through walkers or slow people. I was with people who were at my speed.

Corral B. I was in Corral C.

When the race concluded, they had two separate areas to collect your medal and refreshments—one for men and one for female.  It was very fast and efficient.   The medal was decent.  They gave you your refreshment in a bag.  Also, they had these massive pots where they dished out a rice dish with hot sauce to the runners.  Throughout the course, they offered plentiful stations of miniature water bottles and electrolyte juice bottles. There were bands, cheerleaders, and spectators encouraging you.  There were stations with oranges and pain relieving spray gels.  They also had race photographers, and the pictures were very inexpensive--only 20 dollars to download all your photos. 

I wore US flag shorts and patriotic compression socks. I wanted to represent my the USA.  

Start line

post race food.  Dylan said it was good. 

The course was nothing spectacular but we did get to run by the India Gate.  Dylan and I ran together and finished in 2:17.  We had to run together because I did not want to risk losing one another.   It is just another thing on my bucket list that I can cross off.  It is not easy running internationally.  You are tired. You have jet lag, but I’m glad we did it. 

India Gate

While driving to Delhi and during the entire half marathon, I could not get my mind off Wildlife SOS.  I was contemplating going back to Agra.  I didn’t know how my family would feel, but when I finished the race and returned to the apartment, I brought up the idea. Everyone jumped up in excitement, and guess what?  We are nontraditional and spontaneous..  We changed our entire plans.  It was not easy, and we did lose some money.  (We had already paid for the apartment.)  It took some juggling and a lot of phone calls, but we did it.  I called Wildlife SOS asking if we could come back.  I will never forget Bheema’s laughter. He was laughing on the other end of the phone before he said, “Of course.”

The entire family was simply jumping with glee!  Lance said, “You know what? It feels like we are going home.”  And he was right.  I couldn’t have said it better.  Wildlife SOS is our home.

So, we all drove back to Agra.  I actually enjoyed the ride because we went through the same villages at night, and I was able to see how life was like at night in these areas. Plus, I couldn't contain my excitement to see my elephants and new friends again. When we arrived at the volunteer house, our fellow volunteers greeted us with smiles and laughs.

The following day, we were so excited to see Moona and Lance’s reunion so we made a short little film.  Moona didn’t know we were coming back.  What a delightful surprise when he saw his brother, Lance!!   Naresh came up to us later and said that in his entire time working at WSOS, no one has done this.  No one had left and immediately came back.  No one but us.

We were able to spend 1.5 more days with our elephants and our friends.  On our last day at Wildlife SOS, a storm came through, and it poured.  I loved it, and  Mia loved running in the rain.

When this trip was planned, it was to be our only time to India.  I was not going to return. There are too many places in the world that I want to see and too many things I want to do.  Before I even left to India, I started researching plans to go to Africa in 2017.  I want more than anything to go to Kruger National Park, but this experience changed us.  We want to go back to Wildlife SOS.  It was such a unique experience. 

One of my coworkers made the comment, “I would NEVER go to India,” and I noticed myself getting immediately defensive. Why?  India has my heart and Wildlife SOS is our home away from home. 

Dear Wildlife SOS, Naresh, Bheema, Moona, Madhumitha, Raju, Maya, Phoolkali, Lakhi, Asha, Suzy, Laxmi, Bijli, Chanchal, Wally, Mac, Peanut, Coconut, Bhola, Rajesh, Mia, and Sita 

We shall see you next year!

and Mohan and Suraj---We look forward to meeting you!