ONE stride at a time! That’s how easy it is for an individual to run a marathon, accomplishing the goals of staying active, fit, healthy and fighting off non-communicable diseases.
Prominent lawyer and long-time runner Richard Naidu can attest to this as he stays involved with Suva Marathon both as a runner and a sponsor.
While some view the Suva Marathon, which is scheduled for Saturday, as another event on the calendar, runners like Naidu realises the broader health benefits, community engagement and personal well-being that comes with it.
Partnership
Naidu’s firm, Munro Leys Lawyers, has been a proud sponsor of the Suva Marathon Club for nearly ten years.
The relationship began when a few runners in his office saw the potential in the newly formed organization.
“We thought they would be a good organization to get alongside and sponsor.
“We have been their sponsor, I think for nearly 10 years, and it has been a really good relationship with the Suva Marathon and they’re a good organisation to partner with,” Naidu said.
While he has a history of playing tennis, Naidu shared his running journey is more of a personal pursuit.
“I enjoy running but I don’t think I’ll ever break any record.”
More than just a race
The Suva Marathon Club, according to Naidu, is a welcoming space for anyone looking to get active.
“It is for people who want to get out and do some exercise in an organised way.
“We have monthly runs which gets us up early on a Saturday morning, run a quick 10km and then get home, have breakfast and get on with your day.
“It’s a great way to get in some exercise. It’s a very easy organisation to be part of, that the idea and I think the club is always looking for more members, just for more people who want to do this exercise.”
He also highlighted the event’s broader significance in playing a role in addressing Fiji’s health challenges.
“We all know how serious our national health issues are particularly around NCDs.
“Clearly, we are not doing enough exercise, we are not a healthy population and one way or the other, we have to improve that, and I think the Suva Marathon club is contributing in a small way to try to get people out, get people active, exercising and get healthy.
“It’s now a really well-established event, people get organised for it, they train for it and with any luck they keep going. The club normally has three or four events a year, the Namosi Challenge is also a really good event and that’s also exciting.”
Advice for first timers and youth
For those tackling the half marathon for the first time, Naidu offered some practical advice.
“Don’t expect to go out and break a world record,” he joked.
He recalled his own first half marathon experience, where he had to learn on the go.
“Just enjoy the run and treat this as the first of many runs. Generally when you start out, I remember when I did my first half marathon, I had no idea how to run it, it seemed like a very long time to run so you have to learn to pace yourself, you have to learn what your strengths and weaknesses are, what your preferred distance is but that’s part of the fun, just the learning about how to do it.
“Just do it! It’s important, health is wealth. The important part about it is you can have fun and stay fit, what’s not to like about that.
“They say it takes three weeks to form a habit; it doesn’t take that long so use this event as a springboard for healthier habits so just get out there and do some exercise. Running is so easy, you just have to put one foot in front of the other and as you get fitter, maybe do it a bit faster, it’s just so easy to do.”
The Suva Marathon will commence tomorrow at 6am.