People run for many reasons. Some run to stay fit, some to catch a bus, some want to save themselves from the people they are not too fond of, and some are just fed-up of their spouses and jobs and keep running! It is the B-schoolers, however, who, manage to make an event out of it, and also promote a social cause while they are at it.

Multiple stakeholders

Various top B-schools are using runs or mini-marathons to promote social causes in their respective cities. These mini-marathons not only give visibility to these schools and the social causes they are promoting but are also a CSR activity for corporates and local businesses who sponsor the runs.

Take the case of IIM – Rohtak’s recent ‘Run for the Girl Child’. The 10-km long mini-marathon turned out to be a crowd-puller with more than 3,000 people participating. “Haryana is a sport-inclined society, and the people in Rohtak love to take a morning walk or a jog,” says Saurabh Vicky, general secretary of the school’s student council. “A mini-marathon definitely caught their attention.” The event was organised to raise awareness on gender discrimination. The run engaged people from all ages and gender — children, men, and women — and prizes worth a lakh. Meanwhile, the sponsors, ranging from a clutch of banks led by SBI and organisations such as NTPC, enjoyed greater visibility, and deeper brand association (with consumers) for being a socially responsible brand. “More than anything, the marathon helped people understand the social issue we were talking about and some even want to seek a solution,” adds Vicky.

Multi-city run

Another B-school involved in activism is IIM-Kozhikode. It is gearing up for a multi-city run beginning November 24th. The institute will be organising India’s first women’s 10-km running event — MegaPink. Its Calicut chapter (3-km) will be held on the same day. “It’s about bringing people from different walks of life together and having them pledge for a cause,” says Pradeep Dutta, member of the Calicut Marathon organising committee. “During the run, many people come together and share their views, discuss the issue, and seek a solution, which is more important than the running.” Not many events such as these take place in Calicut.

Dutta expects around 8,000 people to participate. IIM-K aims at creating awareness on health and lifestyle, and fitness-based issues for women through the event. This year, the marathon will be held simultaneously in 40 cities across India, and will be promoted by celebrities such as Milind Soman and Gul Panag. The Indore Marathon was conceived of in 2008, and now the 11-km run is conducted every year on October 2 to raise awareness against various social issues. “When you see 4,500 people, out of their houses, their comfort zone, at 6 am, you know they are there to support a cause,” says Vikalp Nigam, Coordinator of this year’s marathon. “To give them a little boost, we had conducted three-week training camp .” Event sponsors include SBI, National Insurance, Coca Cola and 92.7 Big FM. Nigam expects the event to be even bigger next year with sponsors already eager to extend their support.

IIM-A steps up

India's top B-school IIM-Ahmedabad had also organised a 5-km run on October 24 on the campus to kick off its annual knowledge event — ConneXion. The institute raised Rs 50,000 as prize money through its sponsor SBI. The prize money went to an IIM-A social initiative, Prayaas, which helps provide quality education to underprivileged kids living in slums near the college. Over 200 students, faculty and family members came together for the event.

IIM-Lucknow has also taken such a city-wide initiative in the past. The institute had organised a 6-km run called ‘The Red Mile’ in Lucknow to spread awareness on HIV/AIDS.

Many top Indian business schools are based in tier-2 and -3 cities. Apart from social causes and sponsorships, such runs and mini-marathons give these otherwise quiet towns a taste of togetherness.

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