In a prelude to World Cancer Day which falls on Feb.4, Kauvery Hospital successfully organised the second edition of the K10K run. The run, held at the Olcott Memorial Higher Secondary School, Besant Nagar, witnessed an incredible turnout of over 4700 participants, including fitness enthusiasts, professional runners, families, corporate employees and students, all uniting to raise awareness about cancer.
This initiative, featuring both 10 km and 5 km categories, aimed to emphasise the importance of early detection and prevention of cancer. The event marked a significant stride in creating awareness about the disease, which remains a global health concern. The 10 km flag-off was done by Sandeep Rai Rathore, IPS, Commissioner Greater Chennai Police, and the 5 km was flagged off by Assistant Commissioner of Police Murugesan.
“Initiatives focused on cancer awareness play a vital role in addressing this issue, emphasising the significance of regular screenings, early detection, and lifestyle modifications. With a holistic approach that combines awareness, accessibility, and advancements in treatment, Kauvery Hospital is striving to reduce the impact of cancer and improve outcomes for affected individuals,” said a statement from the hospital.
Dr A.N.Vaidhyswaran, Director – Radiation Oncology at Kauvery Hospital Chennai, emphasised the critical role of awareness in cancer prevention. He stated, “Despite advancements in diagnostics and treatments, many individuals still lack awareness about the importance of regular screenings. Early detection is key to improving survival rates, and through the cancer awareness run, we aimed to highlight the symptoms and encourage proactive health measures.”
Dr. Aravindan Selvaraj, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Kauvery Group Hospital expressed gratitude for the overwhelming response to the run, praised the participants for supporting a noble cause and thanked the Chennai Traffic Police and the Greater Chennai Corporation as well.
Saree not a constraint for marathon runners
As shared by Malarkodi A Thilak:
What an electrifying event it was, today! It was an overnight thought, why not run in a saree? After a con-call with Dr Sangeetha, and Ganga Mohan, we were there at 3 in the morning ready to run 10k in tricolour attire (saree) for the K10K event. For the first 1 km, we were focusing on our run, so that we don’t trip down with a saree. After a km, we got comfortable with our attire and then the remaining 9 kms was real fun! While spreading cancer awareness, we did this run wearing a saree for two reasons:
1. To spread about our heritage and culture;
2. There shouldn’t be any constraints (dress, shoes, etc.) for women to pursue running.
Many believe women cannot run wearing saree but we wanted to prove them wrong by doing the task draped in normal cotton sarees. All along the route, runners kept encouraging us. When the organisers called us on stage to recognised us, we were flying in the sky.
Very well organised event indeed! Thanks a ton to Dr lyappan Ponnuswamy and Dr Sivaramkannan Swaminathan, Kauvery Hospital marathon organising committee. After many many years we three climbed up to the stage! Happiness overloaded! We also enjoyed the dance programme organised after the race. Malarkodi and her friends as well as Dr lyappan and Dr Sivaramkannan are part of Run For Coffee marathon team, which is led by coach Mohammed Idris. They are all residents of the Adyar neighbourhood. Malarkodi can be contacted at [email protected].
