At 69, marathon as easy as you think

(Clockwise from top left) Dawa Lama, Gom Bahadur Tamang,
Dipasha Subba and Tenzing Sherpa : Passang Yolmo 

VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, 13 Jan 2019, Darjeeling: Gom Bahadur Tamang is 69 years young and has proved that age is just a number if one has self determination, will and discipline.

The Amway Darjeeling Police Marathon is termed a difficult run even by professional athletes but for the retired traffic constable, the event is "as easy as you think". Giving company to Tamang was another cop, retired homeguard Dawa Lama, 59.

"I sleep by 8.30pm, wake up by 3am, do my puja, watch TV and am out every day for three to four hours, running for as long as I can," said Tamang. "But I eat to my stomach full," he added with a smile.

Isn't the run difficult? "It is as easy as you think," chuckled Tamang.

Both Tamang and Lama have been running for "many years" now, participating in marathons even outside Darjeeling.

For Lama, such runs have been a way of life. "I secured second position in a veteran's category in a marathon recently held in Calcutta," Lama said, stressing that he "was not oldest" in Saturday's event.

Tamang is fit as a fiddle. "Yesterday, during my medical check-up, they said my BP was 140/80," he asked.

A young boy who was engrossed in Tamang's conversation suddenly came up to the runner, shook his hand and said: "Uncle, this year I beat you. I was slightly ahead of you. Last year, I could not catch up with you." Moments later, the teenager melted away in the crowd. Tamang, who has a grandson, smiled and said. "I don't care about positions but I make it a point to complete the race." That's what Dipasha Subba, a 13-year-old who studies in Class VII at Sukhiapokhri High School, was aiming at before the run started. "I hope to compete the race." The senior citizens have one simple advice for the younger generation. "It is all about self-determination, will and discipline. I run everyday, sometimes for 5 to 6km, sometime for 20km, depending on the schedule my coach Siddhartha Lama prescribes," Lama said.

Tenzing Sherpa, 16, from Rimbick said: "I am a footballer, a striker in my team and had never run a marathon. I decided to participate as my other friends were participating.... Football and marathon are really different.".