Suman Ballav  Running

MUMBAI: After a few minutes of conversation, one gets the feeling that life, for many, may not be only a stage. It is a marathon and we’re all runners. Some win, some lose, some reach the destination, some fail midway, some struggle — others collapse.

Christopher Cheboiboch is not exactly a philosopher but 10 years on the road have taught him many a thing about life and running. For him, running is no longer a competition - it is a way of life.

Here in the city for Sunday’s Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, Christopher is not a typical Kenyan.

At a time when the Kenyan athletes’ loyalty to their country is being questioned, he wants to prove that his fellow countrymen, after all, are not as unpatriotic as they are made out to be. He runs a school whose main source of funding is the prize money he earns by running in marathons in different parts world.

But he would rather cite the example of Paul Tergat, the fastest man on the earth.

“If Kenyans are not patriotic, Paul would not be here,” he said. “Paul is not running here. He has come to encourage the Kenyan contingent. He doesn’t have to be...”

He contends a few athletes don’t make a whole nation but if such an impression has gained credence world over, the country’s governing athletics body is not above blame. “Athletics Kenya is not doing enough to keep the runners happy.”

Christopher has the best timing among the participants of Sunday’s marathon. He had come second at last year’s New York and Boston Marathons and the 30-year-old has run about 70 races in life. His personal best is 2:08:17.

Christopher is no. 20 in Kenya where marathon runners are as many as, perhaps, cricketers in India. “We’ve many runners. Uncountable,” he reveals.

The frail looking Kenyan practices about four hours a day and runs approximately 120 km a week in the high altitude. The secret of his success is disciplined and dedicated training. So will he win on Sunday?

“A difficult question.You can’t say till you touch the tape. In 2 hours and 42km journey, anything can happen”.