Good Sports: Sari-Clad Woman Completes Marathon
A 43-year-old woman named Madhusmita Jena recently completed the Manchester Marathon in England in four hours and 42 minutes.
Just finishing a 26-mile race is impressive, but even more impressive is that Jena was wearing a traditional Sambalpuri sari.
A special education teacher whose parents are from Odisha, Jena told iGlobal that she began running at age 29 and has completed 37 full marathons so far. But this year’s Manchester Marathon was the first one in which she wore a sari.
“I wanted to showcase Indian culture, specifically Odia, as that’s my roots,” she said. “And it’s also to show my friends who aren’t allowed to wear shorts that you can run in anything—in sarees, salwar suits or any attire really. I want to encourage more people to go out and run.”
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Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
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