Elmhurst Man Runs Marathon For Kids’ Sake

Story and Photos By MIKE ALDAX
For Rashmin Master, 26.2 miles was a short distance to run considering the long-lasting impression he made on his kids once he crossed the Central Park finish line. The Elmhurst man competed in his third New York City Marathon in an attempt to prove to his children that with hard work and determination, any goal can be achieved.
"I wanted my kids, who are swimmers, to see how hard I worked in order to finish this race," said Master. "If I can show that I put forth the effort, I will make a good impression on my kids and hopefully they will work just as hard in their swimming careers as I have in my running."
For Master, making his point has not been easy. A certified public accountant and father of two kids, Master was not allotted much time to work on getting in shape for the Marathon. But he managed to scrape one hour out of his busy weekday schedule to hop on the treadmill and slip in a work-out. On Sundays, he hit the streets to run non-stop for two hours, making sure that he got in at least 35 miles of running a week.
It proved to be enough.
Masters 1997 finishing time of 6:20:30, and his 1998 finishing time of 5:57:51, were shattered this year when he completed the Marathon in 4:57:25, his personal best. Master placed 23,800 overall and 2,182 in his age group. Although he did not win the grand prize of $130,000 (its $65,000 if youre not an American citizen), the grand prize allotted to first place finishers, he crossed the finish line for the fourth time in four years and has done it with his best performance yet.
Master attributes much of his success to his wife, Kalpana, who has also been a significant part of his inspiration for becoming one of the 470,000 runners to have participated in the Marathon in the races history. A pediatrician, Kalpana constantly reminds Master how important exercise is for his health. She has taught her husband and kids that training hard not only improves your athletic endurance, it also helps to prolong your life.
"My wife has taught me that in order to maintain good nutrition and health, I need to stay active and keep up with a daily exercise regimen," said Master. "Running has helped me to maintain good health, and I enjoy doing it as well."
Despite all of the legitimate reasons and inspirations that had propelled Master to compete in this years Marathon, only one goal truly stands out as one of crowning achievement: He ran through every borough in New York City, and did it before early afternoon. Thats an accomplishment he and his family can revere for the rest of their lives.
It proved to be enough.
Masters 1997 finishing time of 6:20:30, and his 1998 finishing time of 5:57:51, were shattered this year when he completed the Marathon in 4:57:25, his personal best. Master placed 23,800 overall and 2,182 in his age group. Although he did not win the grand prize of $130,000 (its $65,000 if youre not an American citizen), the grand prize allotted to first place finishers, he crossed the finish line for the fourth time in four years and has done it with his best performance yet.
Master attributes much of his success to his wife, Kalpana, who has also been a significant part of his inspiration for becoming one of the 470,000 runners to have participated in the Marathon in the races history. A pediatrician, Kalpana constantly reminds Master how important exercise is for his health. She has taught her husband and kids that training hard not only improves your athletic endurance, it also helps to prolong your life.
"My wife has taught me that in order to maintain good nutrition and health, I need to stay active and keep up with a daily exercise regimen," said Master. "Running has helped me to maintain good health, and I enjoy doing it as well."
Despite all of the legitimate reasons and inspirations that had propelled Master to compete in this years Marathon, only one goal truly stands out as one of crowning achievement: He ran through every borough in New York City, and did it before early afternoon. Thats an accomplishment he and his family can revere for the rest of their lives.