TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2023 | 4 past winners share their race strategy

TCS World 10K Bengaluru is a middle-distance race that both seasoned and new runners can attempt to finish in good time. (File photo via instagram.com/tcsw10k)

The 10K race is unique in the world of running. It is neither too long, nor too short. You don’t need to train very hard, nor can you just wake up and attempt it and still expect to finish in good time. It is a middle-distance race in which people who focus more on strength-training than endurance-training can expect to do as well as the regular long-distance runners. Best of all, it is a great distance for runners of all abilities, as it is just about long enough to be challenging but not so long as to leave you crippled with pain, cramps or fatigue.

When the new running season kicks off with the TCS World 10K Bengaluru on May 21, more than 27,000 runners will take to the streets of the garden city - some attempting to improve their timing, and others looking to enjoy the race among other like-minded fitness and running enthusiasts.

Whether you are aiming to achieve your new personal best or just looking to navigate the course most effectively, you will need a race plan that is better than “I will simply run.” Moneycontrol spoke to four past winners to share their race strategy so that you can run your best and most fun TCS World 10K Bengaluru. However, a word to the wise, you must have had some half decent training in the run up to the race day for any of these strategies to help you beat yourself.

Simta Sharma, 35, winner in the 30-34 years women category in 2019, 2022

Bengauluru-based IT professional Simta Sharma will compete in the 35-39 years category this year. She has put in the hard hours training for the event. The training included not only workouts and drills but also studying the route for turns, elevations and flat stretches and planning her nutrition strategy.

The two-time age category winner, who has run this event thrice, divides her race into three segments: from start to 4km, the 3km middle and 3km run to the finish line.

The first and most important thing, she says, is getting out of the Kanteerava Stadium, where the race starts. “It is crowded inside and you need to be careful getting out of the stadium, so it’s best to be alert and slow. Soon as you get out, you are running up an incline for the first kilometre. I will be slow here and gradually build up pace till I get to the 4km mark. The first section is all about avoiding the crush while getting out and finding my rhythm. From here on, I pick up the pace while keeping something in the tank for the final push. In this middle section you come to the Vidhana Soudha, where you will find a long, flat stretch. It is here you can focus on your speed and shave off some seconds. Maintain this momentum till you hit the 8km mark. By now, you will be in Cubbon Park and it’s around this point that there is a slight elevation and a few turns too, so factor that in and try to hold your pace. Once past that, you only have the final 2km left and that’s when you go all out,” says Sharma.

She has also planned her nutrition and hydration for the race. She will have half a gel 10-15 minutes before the race and another half a gel around the 6km mark. She will follow this up with a few sips of water without stopping or dropping her pace.

Mohamed Idris, 55, winner in the 50-54 years men category in 2019, 2022

Mohamed Idris has won his age category at this event multiple times and is consistently one of the best among his peers at many other events across the country. He reads the Bengaluru route slightly differently from Sharma and feels it is largely flat and he takes it as a race of just two halves of 5km each.

“It is almost a flat route, so I don’t go out too fast in the first half. I maintain a steady pace, whatever the pace that I have trained at, for the first half. I start increasing the pace in the second half of the route... so that I can finish strong. There are some turns and uphills, so keep that in mind. You will also have to be careful to not trip, especially at the start where it gets crowded and at the turns. I don’t need hydration for this distance but I do take one gel pre-race to fuel me through. Trust your training,” says Idris.

Another thing to bear in mind, he says, is to enjoy the race from start to finish. “It is a competition but you have to enjoy the race. There are so many people and so many things happening all around, that it is a carnival,” he adds.

Saraswati Rai, 45, winner in the 40-44 years women category in 2019, 2022

Saraswati Rai has been training for the 10km distance for some time now. “My aim is to improve my race timing in Bengaluru,” she says. As part of her training, she ran the distance in Kolkata last December. Rai, who was severely impacted by the rain at the start of the TCS World 10K Bengaluru last year, has factored in the weather in her strategy. “Last year, it rained heavily at the start of the race and that affected my performance. I slipped at one point in the race and injured my knee. From the weather apps I can tell that it is raining a bit in Bengaluru at the moment so I need to bear my previous year’s incident in mind and be careful. I have run the race twice before so I am familiar with the terrain and that helps. I plan to improve my 10K personal best. My strategy here is to run within myself and as per my capabilities. I won’t try to copy someone else’s pace. I will run my own race at my own pace. Though Bengaluru weather is good, I need to factor in the humidity of the city at this time of the year,” Rai says.

Abhishek Pal, 26, Indian elite winner of TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2022

The defending Indian champion of the race is positive about the route and his strategy and expects the race to be a good one. As he starts with the elite runners, Pal doesn’t have to deal with the crowds and jostling at the start line. However, the route still has the same number of turns and elevation. “The route is good and it has a bit of a hill type with an approximate 2 degree incline and the city is at an altitude. So, I need to factor that in. My strategy is to run at a good pace with the elite group and stay focused on getting a good timing. It’s that simple,” says Pal. The race should be a good one if the weather conditions remain favourable, he adds.