Presenting Pinkathon, India’s biggest women’s run, for women’s health and breast cancer awareness

For a woman who is a great influencer for her family, adoption of healthy lifestyle both in terms of food and fitness needs to come from within. What is needed is enthusiasm, determination, a conducive environment, the willpower to succeed and an inner need to be fit and healthy again.

Helping women in this endeavor is Pinkathon, India’s biggest Women’s run, for women’s health and breast cancer awareness. Founded by Milind Soman and Reema Sanghavi, Pinkathon was created with the specific purpose of getting more and more women to adopt a fitter lifestyle for themselves and their families, and to highlight the need for increased awareness of other issues that put women’s lives at risk. As Soman, super model, actor, fitness enthusiast and the founder of Pinkathon says, “The Pinkathon is more than a Marathon. It is the seed of change. It is the beginning of a movement carried forward by a growing community of empowered women across India, who share a belief that a healthy family, a healthy nation and a healthy world begins with empowered women. The first step in empowerment is taking control of your own health, respecting yourself and understanding and celebrating the value you bring to your family and society. Empowerment is not a gift of society; it is a gift you give yourself.”

How did it start?

Soman, the Ironman Triathlon Finisher (in 2015) at Zurich, Switzerland points out that the need for a “women-only” run rose from his experience of participation in different marathons where the women were always very less. According to him, “fitness” is liberating and if a culture of regular exercise and fitness must take root in India, the Indian women need to become aware about the benefits of fitness. They need to be able to get out and run, which doesn't happen enough due to various cultural reasons.

“Pinkathon provides a platform to women where they can feel comfortable running leaving behind all worries and constraints. Women are often conscious of running around men, they are conscious of what they have to wear while running. In Pinkathon we provide a space where women can run feeling comfortable and wearing whatever they want. They run in running gear such as shorts and tracks but also in sarees, salwar kameez, hijabs or whatever attire they deem fit and which keeps them comfortable.”

Pinkathon was started in 2012 in Mumbai in which 3,000 women participated and four years down the line it plans to have close to 75,000 participants. Starting with a single city, the momentum has spread to eight cities (namely Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Pune and Mumbai) and there are plans to target smaller cities too. Over this short period, Pinkathon has raised more than Rs 60 lakh towards treatment of underprivileged women with cancer and has facilitated free breast screenings for thousands of women through their partners. This run is organised by the United Sisters Foundation (USF) and the event is promoted by Maximus Mice and Media Solutions.

Being an all-inclusive women race, men are not allowed to participate in Pinkathon. However, they can support the cause by volunteering for the event either for the Visually Impaired Squad or as pacers. In the 21km distance category, Pinkathon has a concept of ‘A Pacer with every Racer’. Each pacer makes sure that the girl they are matched with is safe during the run and is able to perform her best in the event that she has trained so hard for.

An equal footing to all

Another very interesting thing about Pinkathon is it all inclusive nature towards women - be it the baby wearing mothers, first time runner, young school girls participating with their moms, encouraging elderly or cancer survivors or providing special training for the People with Disabilities (visually or hearing impaired women). The idea is to encourage health and fitness at every age and not restrict someone due to their disabilities.

“While our main focus is on the sport, the truth is, sports are simply the tool for accomplishing a bigger goal, to bring hope, inspiration and the joys of achievement to Persons with Disabilities. Persons with Disabilities run for many reasons and with many goals — to improve physical strength; to build confidence. Running together encourages empathy, discovering more about yourself and your partner. It creates awareness at many levels that help break perceptions of stereotypes and bring about social transformation,” says the bare-foot runner.

Preparing for Pinkathon

Pinkathon participants can choose to run or walk whatever they would prefer. It is planning to hold their third edition Chennai run on June 5, 2016 at Island Ground for which the last date of registration is May 31. The organisation is expecting more than 8,000 participants this year. It also includes a special 3-km category that will have visually and hearing-impaired people as mascots.

For this, the organisation provides free training sessions on every weekend and “Know the route” run for the consecutive last three days to the participants. There will also be an extensive online campaign to reach out to the masses and help the movement grow.” As a precursor to the main day, the team is organizing unique events such as the “Cancer Shero Trek”. Pinkathon is also conducting special training sessions for the visually impaired women, as 50 visually impaired girls would be participating in the different category run.

With such a huge crowd, Pinkathon is also conscious about the safety and security of their women participants and have the top most security agency on board, deploying 200 security personnel on the main day. They also have specific accreditations to monitor entry / exit in special zones, besides having DFMDs, Baggage Scanners etc.

Pinkathon ambassadors: Changing mindsets

The Pinkathon has been created to drive awareness on social causes. Even though it is not a fund raiser, all participants are encouraged to raise money through the Pinkathon, which will be donated directly to the Women’s Cancer Initiative (WCI) in Mumbai, as well as other NGO’s across the country. The Bajaj Electricals, which are the partners with Pinkathon, is celebrating Year 2016 in the company as the Year of the Girl Child. The company is encouraging their male employees to get their spouses, mothers, sisters or any female relative to participate in this run and support the cause whole heartedly.

Driving all this is a core team of Pinkathon and its concept of Pinkathon Ambassadors. The Ambassadors of Pinkathon are highly motivated individuals who believe strongly in the cause of the Pinkathon and are very passionate about encouraging women to run and be fit. They could be running enthusiasts or even nonrunners, who understand the importance of women’s health and do everything they can to promote it. They connect with all levels of society and drive participation from every part of the city.