Hi! Welcome to a new blog. Yes you read the title right how can a 65 year old woman win a marathon? It is just impossible. But it became possible when a 65 year old woman from a small village in Maharashtra won a marathon. But how? Let's see:
Lata was a sixty-five-year-old resident of a small village in Maharashtra. She lived a simple life. Just she and her husband. They worked at a landowner's farm and earned just enough to survive. They lived in a small house, and the food they got was just enough to fill their stomach.
One day after coming from farm her husband told her that he was not feeling well. She tried a lot of herbal remedies but it didn't helped. She took her husband to the local hospital. There the doctor did a check up and some test. The doctor informed her that her husband had a severe infection and they should go to a bigger hospital to do the treatment. But Lata only had enough money to take a ride to the hospital. With tears in her eyes, she left her self-respect and her ego and begged and pleaded in front of her neighbours and her relatives.
With all the money she gathered, they went to the big hospital and at the hospital they received a uncomfortable environment. Some people at the hospital gave them a strange look and some ignored them. Lata, with great courage asked where they could meet a doctor. The people at the reception took some fee and asked them to wait outside till they were called. Siting outside the doctor's room Lata prayed to Bhagavan ( 'God' in Sanskrit ).
After some time they were called in, after some examination the doctor handed over a list of tests, some medications and recommendation to stay at the hospital. Lata got tensed. I have no money, I am helpless. Thinking this she sanked into the chair as her world became dark.
They could not afford the canteen prices of the hospital so they walked out and stopped at a samosa-wallah. they took two samosas for the journey back to village. As she ate the samosa and was about to throw the newspaper she read a headline saying "Baramati Marathon- Prize money available". Her heart skipped a beat, but regained it.
The next day she reached the venue of race. Every participant was lined up and the race was about to begin. After a hour of begging and pleading, they finally let her participate in the race. They pinned a number on her clothes. She stood at the start line, everyone was laughing at her but Lata ignored them. Her focus was on the award money.
As the whistle blowed, Lata wearing a Maharashtrian-style sari, barefoot ran like wind. Leaving the youngsters behind who practiced for this marathon for months. Seeing this everyone was cheering Lata. She had to win the race.
And guess what? A 65 year old woman won the race. The crowd cheered her and celebrated her winning. Ignoring the attention received by the public, Lata collected the her winnings and rushed to hospital and got her husband treated.
This was how a sixty-five-year-old woman from a small village in Maharashtra won a Marathon.
