Don't follow in Budhia's footsteps, Ian Ladbrooke tells kids

New Delhi, July 23 (UNI) Renowned distance running expert and elite Athlete Co-ordinator Ian Ladbrooke urged kids not to follow in 'wunderkid' Budhia Singh's footsteps, asserting that it was 'not suitable' for below 16-year-olds to take to long distance running.

''I would not suggest kids to go the Budhia way,'' Ladbrooke said.

''It is not suitable for the body if those below 16-year-old take to running marathons,'' said Ladbrooke, who won 13 full marathons and 47 half marathons in his career.

In the capital alongwith last year's Hutch Delhi half marathon winner Catherine Mutwa of Kenya to pass on tips and guide Reebok's instructors for the forthcoming half marathon to be held here on October 28, Ladbrooke said many athletes who were more than 25-year-old did well in marathons.

Five-year-old Budhia became the world's youngest marathon runner and became an athletic phenomenon after finishing in races of up to 60 kilometers (37.3 miles) in roughly six hours and thirty minutes.

Coach to Athletics Kenya and Manager from 1998, Ladbrooke said Indians have come a long way from the 'foreign concept' of running marathons and if the athletes train hard, they can end up with a podium finish at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

''Five years ago the idea of running seemed to be a 'foreign concept' to people (Indians) here. But now things have changed,'' said Ladbrooke, who himself won 13 full marathons and 47 half marathons (21 kms). He will co-ordinate the Hutch Delhi Half Marathon later this year.

Budhia's ability to run has led to a certain amount of celebrity status and he has appeared in a number of television commercials.

These commercials have allegedly led to significant financial gains for Budhia's coach, Mr Biranchi Das. An official inquiry by Indian child welfare officials was launched 4 January 2006.

On May 8 last year, the Central government has ordered that he stop running after doctors found the boy had ''high blood pressure and cardiological stress.'' UNI