Background
It was to be our last run in Kerala. We had been organising the event since a late night discussion in the Casino Hotel on the 15th May with one of Kerala's leading heart surgeons, Dr. Jose Chacko Periappuram and Mr. George Dominic, one of the owners of the Casino Group Hotel. We agreed that we would do our bit to increase public awareness about the Heart Care Foundation through Heels on Fire. The Heart Care Foundation (HCF) is a charitable trust which has been set up to channel resources in providing medical assistance and creating health awareness in both urban and rural communities as well as to individuals who do not have access to such resources or information. In a short span of time, the HCF has captured the attention of thousands of households throughout Kerala .

It is important to understand the context of such movements in India. There are currently many groups such as HCF that create awareness about the dangers that modern lifestyles and work cultures pose on general wellbeing and cardiac health. Kerala has the highest incidence of heart diseases in India. Cardiac diseases claim the lives of people in their prime and are often preventable if information and timely health support are available. Throughout our run through Kerala, we rarely saw people running or exercising Anything that made people think more about their lifestyle and health would be a positive move. Creating awareness about healthy diet and physical fitness, and making expensive heart care affordable to the poor are important. However, many such foundations end up as extensions of elite hospitals that secure government incentives such as tax breaks and often fall short of fulfilling their mandate. We were enthused by the optimism displayed by the promoters of HCF and hope that it can rise above the numerous health foundations that do little to promote health consciousness.


Preparations
We arrived at The Brunton Boatyard Hotel at 8 a.m. - an hour before we were due to start. There was a buzz of activity about the place. Film crews and photographers had already started gathering. There were people busily making flags that bore Heels on Fire and the HCF stickers. We handed out our last 50 Heels on Fire t-shirts to the lucky people who arrived early. Uncharacteristically for a celebrity, Suresh Gopi arrived on time . The buzz and excitement seemed to step up a couple of gears.      

Press Conference
Walking confidently to his awaiting chair at the head of the press conference, Suresh smiled away and warmly embraced Pete and me. Suresh comes across as soft-spoken,  humble and well meaning despite his obvious fame. He has a thick but well trimmed moustache and a stocky frame, ideal for action hero roles in Indian movies!     

Dr Jose spoke about the increasing prevalence of heart disease in India. He also talked about how he had read about Heels on Fire in the newspaper and how the Casino Group had arranged to meet with Heels on Fire.  Working together would provide an excellent opportunity to spread awareness about how heart disease can be prevented. Pete followed up with a charm offensive and explained the purpose of Heels on Fire beyond the element of running. Suresh Gopi talked of how he had first read about Heels on Fire in Bangalore. When he had heard that we were planning a fun run in Kochi with the HCF he was only happy to lend his (considerable) weight to the cause. He told us later how he turned down the offer to be the brand ambassador for an aerated soft drink as he did not want to be associated with such products. Suresh Gopi was officially made the brand ambassador of the HCF.

The press had a lot of questions for the Heels on Fire team. What were our observations about Kerala? Has the whole experience been positive? Who were the like minds working behind the scenes? It was great to meet so many people who seemed genuinely interested in what we have been doing.


The Run        

The run itself was an extravaganza. the sponsors, the Casino Hotel Group had sent out invitations to schools, spotsclubs, the Navy, the Police. Several advertisements had been placed in all the Kochi newspapers inviting people to join us. We were to run 3kms through Kochi's historical streets and past its iconic Chinese fishing nets.

The commissioner of police Sri P Vijayan  came in a 'flags a flying' jeep to flag the race off. We weaved through the old town of Kochi, with flags waving and all the runners dressed in red and green Heels on Fire t-shirts. As we ran our numbers swelled. Stevie, completed his second kilometre of the trip as he sprinted passed on his toes in flip flops, with his silky locks flowing in the wind. At every corner,  Suresh Gopi  was greeted with admiration and hand shakes. It was good to witness the impact that a socially conscious celebrity could bring to such causes.

We have said all along that reaching Kanyakumari represented not the end, but just the beginning of the life of Heels on Fire. It was good to have had such an opportunity to support a cause that had a lot of potential.

As we sat around talking after the run, we talked informally about food, people's diets, health and lifestyles.  One of the discussions looked at the feasibility of large hotel chains like the Casino Group sourcing their food from small local farmers who use organic farming methods. Suresh Gopi was enthusiastic about such an idea too. The General Manager of Casino Group committed to source chicken and vegetables from rural markets rather than from large supply chains. Let's hope that this is just the beginning…

Although the HCF run was a small step towards creating a culture of fitness and well being in Kerala, we were glad that we could do our bit. The run, the discussions that followed and all the attention that it generated helped us wind up the Heels on Fire run in Kerala in style. Heels on Fire in Kerala too was just another beginning…

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