Prashant Ivaturi

Observing this marathon from the inside for five years has made me aware of it's vision, hard work, and what Indian running can become. I have a front-row seat to something extraordinary every August. Not from the stands. Not from the sidelines. From the inside. As a runner who joined Hyderabad Runners Society in 2018. As a volunteer and part of the organizing team since 2021. As the official anchor on stage since 2022 for the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon . And this year, for the first time, as the live telecast host - watching three simultaneous races unfold across two venues from a television studio. Five years, multiple roles and one consistent observation. Every single year, this event gets bigger, better, and more ambitious than the year before. Cricket has its Harsha Bhogles and Ravi Shastris - voices that do not just describe the game but illuminate it. People who bring the viewer closer to the sport by understanding it more deeply than almost anyone else. Marathon running in I...

  A bunch of stories from the 15th edition of the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon where I did something new, learnt of many stories, witnessed sportive spirit, sacrifice and service. The morning of the 15th NMDC Hyderabad Marathon did not begin the way I had planned. It began with a flat tyre. It was dark. It was raining. Every shop was closed. There was not a mechanic in sight. And I had somewhere to be. So I made a rather questionable decision. Keep driving. And I thought to myself " Let's get there on time. We will figure out the tyre later. " The bigger worry, honestly, was the rain. Thirty-two thousand runners were counting on reasonable weather. We were all quietly hoping the rain gods would show some mercy. And somehow, they did. Just before race time, the rain stopped. A lovely breeze came in. The skies turned a perfect shade of cloudy grey. Perfect running weather. Inside the studio, however, the butterflies had only just begun. A very different kind of hosting For fou...