Light, breathable and comfortable — wearing the right clothes is essential for marathon participants and other fitness enthusiasts. Pune’s Mrunal Inamdar, however, chooses to pair her sneakers with a sari.
In March, she will walk 100 km in a Nauvari, a traditional Maharashtrian sari. The event she has enrolled in is the Oxfam Trailwalker Virtual Challenge. The first leg of this year’s challenge will be held between February 25 and March 6, and from March 8-17. The event aims to draw attention towards gender inequality, especially during the pandemic that resulted in increased job losses, domestic violence, and disrupted education for women.
“I am a proud Maharashtrian Indian. To promote my culture, I decided to break the dress code barrier. I wore a Nauvari during my Mumbai to Pune run in 2018 and Satara to Pune run in 2019.” says Inamdar.
In her colourful saris, Inamdar stands out among other participants and this is what she wants. “When I did the Satara Hill Half-Marathon, I was overwhelmed with the response from my co-runners. Most of them wanted to click selfies with me and some went live on Facebook. A couple of them made video calls to encourage their mothers and wives to step out of the house for walks,” she says.
Since it was introduced in Bengaluru in 2012, the Oxfam Trailwalker has become one of the major events for fitness enthusiasts across the world. Over 10 days, participants may choose to finish 100 km, 50 km, or 25 km, as they come to terms with their own strengths, team spirit and ambition.
