Meeting your hero

"A hero is somebody who is selfless, who is generous in spirit, who just tries to give back as much as possible and help people. A hero to me is someone who saves people and who really deeply cares."         -  Debi Mazar 

If you read the story about any great personality, we can find one common thing among them. That is, all of them have a mentor, a guru  or a hero. A Guru is someone who has answers for everything, guides along your path, encourages and is a constant source of inspiration.

I started running as a regular exercise a year back. I try to do it at least 3 to 4 times a week. Initially it was a routine, slowly it became hobby and at the moment, it’s more than that. Rather it has become an inherent part of my life.

Couple of years back, while scrolling through Crossword’s bestsellers list, I found a book tiled as “Dare to Run” written by Amit B Sheth. This book narrates Amit’s experiences about running from 200 meters jog on a Mumbai beach to finishing Ultimate Human Race on planet, Comrades Marathon. Amit along with his wife Neepa are the first Indian husband wife team who have finished Comrades Marathon two times (in year 2010, 2011). This book is not about just running, but about an incredible journey of determination, courage and self-belief.

         

             For me, this book proved to be a real gift. It helped me to enjoy the running instead of doing it as a routine task. It made me to co relate life experiences with running. Running was the new territory I was trying to explore and Amit’s book became my source of inspiration. No doubt, as far as running is considered, Amit is my hero. We got in touch with each other via internet. I promised Amit to meet him on a race day. And I got a chance to do so at Satara Hill Marathon, held on last week.

            Amit delivered a motivational speech about his running experiences before the race day. It was very exciting to meet him and listen to his words. During the speech, Amit was calm, composed yet electrifying in his presence. What really amazed me was his simple, humble and down to earth nature. He was cheerful in mood and was patiently posing for cameras with his fans.

            Before the lecture, I met him and introduced myself. I wanted to get his autograph and capture a snap with him, but I had forgotten my diary and Camera at my hotel room. Knowing this, Amit asked me to wait until the lecture is over. After the lecture, we met again. I took my running bib and asked Amit for his autograph on it. Then he asked Neepa to get the latest edition of his book, both of them signed on the first page and presented it to me. He also took a T Shirt with “Dare to Run” printed on it and gave it to me. That was a special moment for me and will remember it for life.

            There are some things in life which makes an ever lasting impression on your mind and that meeting was surely one of them.