NRI Woman runs Manchester Marathon in Saree
An Indian woman made headlines after completing the Manchester Marathon on April 16, 2023, in a saree.
Madhusmita Jena-Das, who is originally from Odisha and now lives in Manchester, ran the UK’s second-largest marathon in an impressive four hours and 50 minutes.
For the run, the 41-year-old teacher wore a beautiful red Sambalpuri handloom saree.
Along with the red saree, Madhusmita wore orange trainers.
She proudly stood out among her fellow runners, who were in more traditional gear.
A video on Twitter showed a smiling Madhusmita running while people cheered for her. She even gave a high-five to one spectator.
Madhusmita Jena, an Indian living in Manchester, UK, comfortably runs Manchester marathon 2023 in a lovely Sambalpuri Saree
While proudly showcasing her Indian heritage, she also presents an inviting perspective on the quintessential #Indian attire@HCI_London @iglobal_news pic.twitter.com/Thp9gkhWRz— ????????FISIUK ????????(Friends of India Soc Intl UK) (@FISI_UK) April 17, 2023
The tweet read: “Madhusmita Jena, an Indian living in Manchester, UK, comfortably runs the Manchester marathon 2023 in a lovely Sambalpuri Saree.
“While proudly showcasing her Indian heritage, she also presents an inviting perspective on the quintessential #Indian attire.”
Madhusmita’s run led to admiration on social media.
One said: “Great… congratulations Ma’am.
“You made us proud by projecting the Indian saree, our weavers would always be thankful to you.”
Another said: “Spotted her on the course, made me smile.”
A spectator commented: “Spotted her on the course, made me smile.”
One proud netizen said: “Madhusmita Jena is the pride of our India. And it also introduced the Indian sari to the marathon in 2023.”
A comment read: “Super act to promote and belief in your culture and roots. Kudos. Keep running.”
Speaking about her marathon experience, Madhusmita said:
“I was the only person to run the marathon wearing a saree.
“Running for such an extended period of time is in itself an uphill task but doing so in a saree is even more difficult.”
“But I am happy I was able to complete the entire distance in 4.50 hours.”
She went on to say that she was inspired by her grandmother and mother to run the Manchester Marathon in a saree because they always used to wear the traditional outfit around her.
Madhusmita added: “Many believe women cannot run wearing sarees but I proved them wrong by doing the task draped a Sambalpuri handloom.
“I anyway wear sarees during summers in the UK.”
The Manchester Marathon proved to be an eventful one as a couple got engaged at the finish line.
Niall West went down on one knee as he and Beth Miller approached the end of the Manchester Marathon.