Bengaluru, Dec 23: One of many amazing stories of the TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2020 is a five-month pregnant woman completing the race in just 62 minutes.
Ankita Gaur, a mom-to-be, completed her run on Sunday, despite being five months pregnant.
The World 10K Bengaluru is an annual 10 km road running competition. The competition was first held in 2008. The World Athletics Gold Label Road Race is being held from December 20 to 27 via the TCSW10K App.
"This is something I have been doing for the past nine years, almost every day. You know, you wake up and go out for a run. Of course, there are times when you are injured or unwell, you have to take a step back. Otherwise, I have been running regularly for nine years, so this is something which is like breathing for me. It comes to me very naturally," said Ankita as per a media release.
"Apparently, running is actually very safe. It's a good exercise to run during pregnancy. Also, if you look at the American Council of Health, it is recommended that if you are a runner, it's absolutely okay. In fact, they recommend you to run. It is very good for the development of the baby, so of course I wanted to go," she added on asked about her motivation behind taking part in the event despite her pregnancy.
An engineer by profession, Ankita has been running in TCS World 10K since 2013. She has also participated in over five international marathons, including in Berlin (three times), Boston, and New York.
When asked about her gynecologist's reaction to her decision to participate in the race, Ankita said, "My doctor said it's absolutely healthy. In fact, she encouraged me to go ahead and run. She advised me not to run fast. I don't have any complication, so I was given a green signal to go ahead and do my running. Even my physiotherapist, who has been with me for the past three years, encouraged me to do a slow run because it's really healthy for me, and the baby as well."
When asked about her family's reaction, she said, "Initially, my mother was a little unsure about it. But she has always encouraged me to continue with sports. So when I told her that the doctor had given the green signal, she was absolutely fine with it."
"And my dad is super supportive, he is proud of me that I am still running, and he's been a sportsperson himself, so he encouraged me. Moreover, my husband has also been absolutely supportive and has been with me all the time. Even when we went to ask the doctor, he was with me. Hence, I would say I am very lucky in that way," she added.
"I thoroughly enjoyed the app-enabled race too. It was very user friendly, once you started the app, it calculated the elapsed time and showed you that as a result. Like how it happens in a real race," she said.
On being asked how she prepared for this year's event, Ankita said, "I have been doing easy running regularly for like 5-8 km, very slowly. I run and walk while taking breaks because obviously, now I am five months pregnant, so my body is very different compared to what it was. Earlier I won medals in TCS 10K, but this time I couldn't as I had to take breaks and walk."
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