The TCS 10KM route, aptly referred to as the “Boomerang” by race organizer Procam, presents an interesting challenge on a captivating course. This race encompasses the allure of gentle rolling hills, parks, key landmarks of the city, and beyond, offering participants a memorable experience.
Let us look at the weather first. It happens in mid-May which means there is always the possibility of rain. Particularly overnight showers the evening before the race. There is some humidity (by Bengaluru standards) that one must contend with especially towards the latter part of the race inside Cubbon park.
Based on the current weather forecast, there is a little chance of rain (<5%), but the humidity is expected to be high (>75%). Temperature during the race expected to be between 24 degrees, which is higher than usual. Wind direction may be from east, with an average speed of 13 km/h.
Learning from last year: Reach the venue well in advance and do your warm up at the earliest available opportunity. It can rain on the morning of the race and then even getting into the holding area can be an arduous and time consuming task leaving you with no time for a warm up.
Now let us focus on the course. The route is pretty much the same from the past edition. There are two facets to the route – the number of (u) turns that you must navigate and the undulating nature of the course. The inclines are not sharp but are of a rolling nature. What makes this course tricky is the fact that these inclines come at very strategic points in the race.
It's gonna be ᴇ𝒍𝒊𝒕ᴇ 🔥
— tcsw10k (@TCSWorld10K) May 12, 2022
Presenting the race route for the World 10K category at #TCSW10K 2022 where elite athletes from around the world will compete for 🔝 honours! #ComeAlive pic.twitter.com/iXnGNjsIqy
Having set the context let us do a deep dive into the course now as the devil 😈 is always in the details.
KM-1: You are all charged up and on fresh legs but be careful not to waste too much energy in this section. You come out of the stadium through a constricted gateway and straightaway hit a steady incline on Kasturba road. Use this section to settle those nerves and find your rhythm. There will be some crowd support in this stretch so take it in and settle down.
Learning from past editions: Regardless of the corral, the start is crowded so be careful not to collide with or step on the feet of fellow runners.
KM-2: This is a rolling section where you have a series of small up-hills followed by a small and sharp down-hill and then a steady uphill. Coast on the downhill and use that momentum as by now you would have found your rhythm.
KM-3: This is a section of the race where you can surge if you paced yourself diligently in the first 2kms. Doing well in this section also means you are ready for the next few kms which are undulating. You will hit two sharp turns in this section one onto Dickenson road and the other that brings you on to Cubbon road.
KM-4: This is the no man’s land section of the race, not many folks on the road to cheer, a gentle uphill and even a headwind. Just put your head down and get done with this part of the race.
KM-5: The initial part is undulating after which you will encounter a downhill and a U-turn on Anil Kumble circle, finally you will run a short uphill in this section. Halfway mark!
KM-6: Its all about counting the KMs down from here. An undulating section on Cubbon road, a steady downhill (and on your left will be the Chinnaswami Stadium), finally a U-turn on Queens road. As you coast on the downhill mentally prepare yourself for the next KM 😉.
KM-7: This is the most challenging section of this race. It is one steady up-hill all the way until GPO and slightly beyond. By now fatigue would have started raising its ugly head and the body is asking questions of you. Distract yourself in this section – count, hang on to a pack of runners, focus on your breathing, keep repeating a mantra OR remind yourself that the next 1.5 km is a lot of down-hill running (this last piece of advice can be seductively dangerous 😊)
KM-8: Downhill section, YAAY! Pat yourself on the back before you attack this section, the toughest part of this race is over. The sights in this section are a visual treat i.e., the High court on your left and the Vidhana Soudha on your right before you take that left-right combo turn into Cubbon park.
Now is the time to speed up! But DO NOT get carried away. How well you pace yourself in this section decides the eventual outcome of the race. PUSH but don’t burn those quads out. This section will end with a U-turn inside Cubbon park. This detour has been added to make up for the stretch that we used to do on Kamaraj road which is now closed due to metro construction.
KM-9: Grunt time! B R E A T H E and stay calm, you are in Cubbon park. The first 400m of this section starting near KSLTA are a gentle downhill use this stretch to coast and get ready for the two gates and a U-turn that need to be navigated, more importantly, there is that uphill section all of about 500m that awaits you and needs to be tackled … YES, we get it that you are in “where is the damn finish line” mode by now. Remember, EVERYONE is suffering around you. Derive solace from that fact and try to stay with a pack of runners of similar pace. Share your misery, that’s what teamwork is all about😉
KM-10: All systems are a GO! The moment you cross the Central Library on your left it’s the home stretch. There is a small downhill, regain the momentum and put one foot in front of another and keep going! Think of all the strength and conditioning sessions, intervals, the short tempos, the time trial runs that you have done in training. All that blood, sweat and toil boils down to here and now! When you take that final left turn back on to Kasturba road, smile as the photographers and the finish line BOTH are waiting for YOU!
Kartik Iyer is a conversationalist, running geek, techie, marathoner, miles to go CrossFit junkie and bathroom Carnatic vocalist. He loves striking random conversations with people just about anywhere, music and anyting to do with tech and fitness, in no particular order. He can be reached at @kartikiyer2007 on Insta and on Strava
Plesae read our related story on TCS World 10K by clicking here.