At 76, India’s ‘Great Grandma’ to run Marathon at Australian Masters Event – World Issues
SHNGIMALWLEIN, India, Sep 06 (IPS) – Kmoin Wahlang, a 76-year-old woman, starts exercising every morning at 4 a.m. Wearing pants, a jacket and running shoes, she tries to navigate the hilly terrain. of the small village of Shngimawlein in the southwest of the Khasi Hills in the state of Meghalaya, a state in the northeast of India.
Even before dawn, despite the continuing darkness, Wahlang starts running in the muddy area of his village. As the morning light casts a warm glow over the green hills of the region, his pace shows control and confidence, the result of several years of dedication to running.
“I love running; it’s very liberating,” he told IPS.
Walhang belongs to the indigenous Khasi tribe of the region and says, “I run for two hours every morning until 6 am and do another two-hour session in the evening as part of my preparation for an upcoming running event in Australia.”
The septuagenarian, mother of 12, grandmother of 54, and great-grandmother of six, will represent India at the Pan Pacific Masters Games in November. This 10-day event held in the Australian city of Gold Coast includes more than 40 sports competitions.
Participants compete in their respective ages without needing to meet qualifying standards or times. An Indian super grandma will participate in several long-distance running events, including the 800 meters, 1,500 meters, 3,000 meters, and 10 kilometer races. Koin Walhang is India’s oldest female long-distance runner.
Dreams Bloom Late
When he was young, he played football as a goalkeeper. “Sports have always been my passion—but due to the poor family situation and the lack of opportunities, I never had the opportunity to pursue it at the right age,” he said. Walhang started running in his seventies, an age when most people avoid extreme physical activity.
Married in 1968 at the age of 20, he put his family first, pushing his dream of becoming an athlete to the background.
“It was my fifth son, Trolin, who is also a marathon runner, who encouraged me to start running,” said Walhang.
As he got older, he started having stomach and breathing problems. However, through running and training, he cured his ailments.
“Running did what no doctor could do for me. It fixed me,” revealed Walhang.
When she’s not running marathons, the septuagenarian cares for her disabled husband, who has been bedridden for the past few years after suffering a stroke. He supports his family by farming, growing paddy and seasonal vegetables in his small farms spread across the hilly area near his home.
Walhang has participated in more than 40 races across the country, including both state and national level events. However, when he started running, people in his neighborhood laughed at him. “The people of my village thought that I was fit to run at my age,” he said with a laugh.
Habari Warjri, the founder of Run Meghalaya, an organization that promotes running among people from all walks of life and helps runners get government and other funding, says, “We saw Walhang running when they organized the Mawkyrwat Ultra Marathon in his village in Shngimawlein. from 2017 to 2019.”
Running Without Limits
Habari and her husband Gerald, both avid athletes, have helped many long-distance runners from the region who come from economically disadvantaged areas to participate in national races outside their region.
“Kong Kmoin was one of the athletes we helped to get support from the government, which enabled him to participate in various races across the country,” said Habari. In Khasi, “Kong” means sister and is used to address women.
“He is able to go to Australia because he participated in the Nationals for Masters athletes held in Hyderabad,” added Habari.
Run Meghalaya helped Walhang participate in the Hyderabad event by providing him with government funding.
Mawkyrwat, located in the South West Khasi Hills region of Meghalaya, is characterized by a landscape of hills, steep slopes and deep valleys. It enjoys a mild and temperate climate with lush greenery.
In fact, Meghalaya—literally translated as “abode of clouds”—provides an ideal environment for long-distance runners because of its favorable temperatures, says Biningstar Lyngkhoi, a district-level athletic trainer who has been training Walhang for the past three years. Apart from its scenic beauty, the district relies on the state capital, Shillong, for essential training facilities and services, which is 75 km away.
“I take Kong Kmoin to Shillong twice a week to practice on the running tracks,” informed coach Lyngkhoi. The provincial sports department has sponsored Walhang round trip tickets to Australia, he adds.
Lyngkhoi says Mawkyrwat, the regional capital city, has a running culture where people love to run.
“There are close to 100 runners who compete professionally and participate in regional and national races. Almost half of them are over 40 years old, but Kong Kmoin is special,” he said. “At 76 years old, he still has the ability to exercise for a long time, which is important for a long-distance runner. He also has a strong mind to stay focused while running long distances.”
Lyngkhoi, who represented India as a marathon runner at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, believes that Walhang’s journey as a marathon runner embodies the spirit of love, which not only inspires his community in the southwestern Khasi Hills but also the people of India and beyond. Despite the challenges of age and limited resources, he inspires athletes of all ages.
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