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Rainy marathon on Marine Drive

Published : Saturday, 6 January, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 524
Gazi Munsur Aziz
I have been running a solo marathon on Marine Drive in Coxs Bazar for several years in memory of my late friend Sajal Khaled who won Everest. I will do the marathon this year too. This is my sixth solo marathon. It was drizzling rain when we started the marathon early on August 27 from the tourist Motel Labonee. Hand smartwatch Extra Active S18 says 5 hours 41 minutes. Sunrise is supposed to be at 5:36. But due to bad weather, the sun was not seen. Apart from this, due to non-tourist season and rains, Labonee Point is almost deserted. Before crossing Sugandha Beach, it started to rain heavily. In the Sugandha Beach area, there is very little movement of people. Then Kalatali turn into Marine Drive. It was still raining when we crossed the hatchery zone and came to Daryanagar Beach Ecopark. And running in the rain.

Ramu upazila starts from Daryanagar. And the beauty of Marine Drive starts from Daryanagar. In the west is the longest beach in the world. Green hills in the east. The path in the middle is steep. The official name of this road is Marine Drive. The 80 km stretch of the beach bordered the road up to Sabrang in Teknaf. It is also the longest marine drive in the world in terms of length. As this path has a different beauty, this path is also one of the ways to enjoy the beauty of the beach. And Sajal Khaled (Mohammed Khaled Hossain) wants to highlight the beauty of this route in front of tourists from all over the world. And as a means of this, on the initiative of Sajal and the organization of Bangla Mountaineering and Trekking Club (BMTC), the Bangla Marathon competition was held for the first time at Marine Drive on July 1, 2007. However, the founder of Bengal Mountaineering and Trekking Club (BMTC) and ornithologist Enam Ul Haque first told Sajal about organizing the Bangla Marathon. Sajal took the initiative to compete in the marathon mainly because of Enam Ul Haques interest.

Their main objective was to increase the attraction of foreign tourists and marathon runners in the medium of international marathons and to develop the countrys tourism industry. At the same time, the purpose of this marathon was to urge environmental awareness to protect the biodiversity of beaches and beaches. For that purpose, in 2009 and 2010, Marathon was held at Marine Drive under the initiative of Sajal and organized by Extremist. Extremist is a fitness club founded by Sajal.

I have participated and successfully completed three marathons organized by Sajal. On May 20, 2013, Sajal fell asleep on the chest of Everest on his way back after conquering Everest. After that there was no Bangla Marathon on Marine Drive. Basically remembering Sajal and keeping his purpose in front of my marathon. Apart from this, through this marathon, calling for the naming of Marine Drive after Sajal Khaled is also another aim of mine.

After crossing Daryanagar, the rain decreased a little. But not completely closed. The road is completely empty. Because, on one side it is raining, on the other side it is morning. It is not the tourist season either. All in all, the movement of people is less. However, this moment of running alone on such a lonely road near the beach on a rainy morning is really good.
A little way from Daryanagar, you will see a mountain waterfall on your left hand side. Due to the rain, this shower has come back to life. After a while another shower. However, there is not much water in these springs during the winter season. Therefore, these showers are an added bonus for tourists when visiting Marine Drive in monsoon.

When we came to Himchari beach with the rain, shower, beach waves and the solitude of the path, the tourists had not started walking on this beach. No shops-restaurants have opened here. I move forward, accompanied by the golden beauty of the beach, mountains, green trees and wildflowers along the way.

Milestones were relied upon to measure distance in earlier marathons. And watch or mobile for time. But this time I used the Smart watch Extra Active S18. The digital watch simultaneously shows distance, time, steps, calorie consumption, heart rate, body temperature. The watch is very useful for health conscious people. That is, this watch is very helpful in maintaining health. Apart from this, this times foot companion was Apex Sprint Keds. Photo taken with Xiaomi Redmi 10. Dewan Atiqur Rahman has designed the t-shirt. Ive done all the solo marathons in the same design t-shirt, just changing the color of the t-shirt every year.

I am moving forward alone after crossing Pechardwip. Marathons organized by Sajal were competitions. So I tried to overtake the front competitor and watch the time. But my current marathon is not a competition, so there is no thought of leaving anyone behind, nor is there a rush for time. Thats why I sometimes run, sometimes walk.

Light rain is falling. The time is increasing. Beachside children are going to school wearing uniforms with umbrellas on their heads. In a place called Karachipara, I saw a person sitting on a leaf mat on the side of the road and listening to music on his mobile phone. He seemed very happy to see her. The loft is also named, Haji Amju Mier Hawakhana. In front of a roadside shop, I saw a wholesaler arranging betel in a basket. A pile of betel nuts on the side. These betel nuts are beach crops. Generally, the yield of betel nut is good in the land bordering the beach.

After passing Mermaid Beach Resort, Eco Resort, we reach Rejukhal, the last border of Ramu Upazila. Rejukhaal is basically a mountain natural river (canal). It originates from the mountain ranges of North Arakan and flows transversely along the Coxs Bazar-Teknaf highway and empties into the Bay of Bengal. A steel bridge was constructed on this canal in 1995 to facilitate the movement of Inani-Teknaf from Coxs Bazar. There is a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) check post at the entrance of this bridge.

I crossed Rejukhal Bridge on foot. The boundary of Ukhia Upazila begins. This place is called Sonar Para. There are many hatcheries here. Apart from this, there are gardens along the beach here. There are also some tea shops next to this garden. However, even if the shop is open, there are no people because of the rain. Other times I see a roadside dub shop here. not today Maybe because of the rain.

There are less tourists on the road even though it is getting late. But I see few locals. Apart from this, I sometimes see the cars of various NGOs. These NGOs are conducting service activities in Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhia-Teknaf. Maybe thats why they travel. But the road is quite empty. Of course, if it was a different time or the season of tourism, many tourists would have been seen on this road by jeep or auto rickshaw.

I came near the Inani Bridge along a mostly empty road and finished half way through the marathon. Then I started to return again. Shortly after starting to return, it started to rain again. I am running with that rain on my head. Meanwhile, the rain increases and decreases. I also walk non-stop. Returning on the same route, we came in front of Motel Labani and completed the 42.195 km distance of the marathon in 3:25 minutes.



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