• The Community Run, the first event of the V Anantapur Ultramarathon brought together 104 ultrarunners and 104 children from RDT Inclusive Schools.
• Women with physical disabilities joined this event for the first time.

More than 100 ultrarunners and RDT volunteers as well as 104 children from the RDT Inclusive and Special Education School gathered at the Anantapur Sports Village on January 22, , 2020 to participate in the Community Run, a relay race that brings together people with and without disabilities.

The Community Run is the first event celebrated as part of the Anantapur Ultramarathon (AUM). To foster inclusion and solidarity, one ultrarunner and one student from RDT Inclusive School ran together in respective pairs in groups, covering a total distance of 5 km.

For the first time, 10 tennis players in wheel chairs and 40 women with physical disabilities from Integrated Development Trust also joined the event for the last round. “Today has been a great day. In the past I would have never even thought of doing something like this because of my fears and shyness, but not anymore. I am proud to have been part of the Community Run,” says Hanumakka, an artisan from the Bukaraya Samudram IDT workshop. She has suffered from polio since she was a baby and it has affected the mobility of her legs ever since.

Moncho Ferrer, RDT Program Director, thanked all the participants, local and international, for their participation and emphasized the value and importance of such events. “The sports field is the only place where everyone is equal, where everyone works together for a goal regardless of their gender, community or physical condition. Today is a very special day for all of us and events like the Anantapur Ultramarathon are undoubtedly an incredible experience not only for the runners but also for the local communities, which are actively involved in the entire process,”he concluded.

“When I came last year, I was astonished to see the number of people involved in this event, but this time, it is even bigger. It is wonderful to be here again to run for a cause as well as to learn more about RDT projects,” explains Peter Lawlor, from Ireland, who has returned for the AUM for a second time.

Here are few of the pictures from the event to check out.

Moncho Ferrer, RDT Program Director with Juan Manuel Viera, the initiator of the AUM at the opening. ©Aurora Díaz/RDT

Ultrarunners running in pairs with students from RDT Inclusive and Special Education Schools in a group ©Aurora Díaz/RDT

Students with physical disabilities from RDT Inclusive School and artisans with disabilities from IDT Handicrafts ©Ernest Abhishek/RDT

Learning from one another. ©Ernest Abhishek/RDT

Hanukamma at the Community Run. ©Aurora Díaz/RDT

Students from RDT Inclusive Schools and artisans with disabilities from IDT Handicrafts race together along with the ultrarunners and RDT volunteers. ©Aurora Díaz/RDT

#1Km1Life. ©Aurora Díaz/RDT

Enthusiasm and happiness in the air. ©Ernest Abhishek/RDT

It’s always celebration time. ©Ernest Abhishek/RDT

Arancha Alvear, from Spain and who took part in this event for the first time also added, “My partner´s name was Likhita, she has a hearing impairment, but that was not a problem for communicating. We had so much fun together and we motivated each other during the race. It was incredible to see how everybody was cheering us on! This has been a unique experience!” She is looking forward to join the 10K runners in next year’s event.

Text: Aina Valldaura, adapted by Vicente Ferrer Foundation USA