My dad narrated this story years ago and it has stayed with me ever since.

"It was low tide and many starfish were left behind on the shore. A boy kept picking them one by one and threw them back into the sea. A man, who had been watching the boy for a while, came up to him and said, 'Son, it doesn't matter. You can't save them all, there are so many of them." To which the boy replied, "It does matter. It mattered to the one I just saved. That's good enough and I shall keep doing that till I can.'"

My association with Asha started out as a Webmaster for the local chapter. In the second year, I took up additional responsibilities. As the webmaster and event coordinator I met many volunteers who were part of Team Asha - Asha's marathon program. I had been handling the website for these runners and had interacted with a lot of them on a regular basis. So for the Marine Corps Marathon in 2006, I traveled to DC to cheer for them. As I cheered them on I thought, "Hmmmm, this person doesn't look any different from me. How can he run 26 odd miles without falling apart?"

I was amazed to see the sheer number of people who turned up to run the 26.2 miles of the marathon. And during the race, I witnessed a myriad of emotions. The tense family/friend, the excited runner, and during the race, the sheer joy on a runners face when he saw a supporter!It was all very exhilarating and moving. The best part of it was at the finish line, when the runners jump up and raise hands and cross the line with a big smile on their face. And all this after running for about 5 hours straight!

I was so overwhelmed that it felt like I had run a marathon myself. On my way back I made up my mind. I had seen the sense of achievement in those runner's eyes. They had accomplished an amazing goal of running a marathon for a cause they believed in. I felt that even I could do it. I have the passion for Asha's cause and this would be a great way for me to increase awareness about Asha among people I knew.

I was in no shape to run even a mile when I joined. So it was no surprise that I was among the slowest when we started out. I could feel new muscles after every run of mine. By the end of the running season, I experienced first hand that; your competition is with yourself. It took me more than 6 hours to finish my marathon; I was still running when I saw people walking back with their medals! And there were more people who were running behind me. You put in your best effort and enjoy the journey till the end and that's all that matters.

If you think you can't do it, no problem. At one point I thought so too. Just go cheer the runners in a marathon. The whole experience would transform you and in no time you'd find yourself knocking the doors of Team Asha or elsewhere. Pain will go away, the glory shall remain! And I always remember, the glory is in trying.