Kolkata Sparks a Running Wave
What happens when a novice stumbles into a marathon by accident? Ask Md. Tanvir Hasan. His first race wasn’t planned. It wasn’t even supposed to happen. Yet that single run in Kolkata changed his life–and the running scene in Bangladesh.
Back then, Tanvir had zero ties to endurance sports. But Morsaline Ahmmed was already racing, and Tanvir was just tagging along. The plan was for a brother’s trip to India for the 10 km Kolkata Marathon. Simple enough–until work forced Morsaline to cancel at the last minute. That left Tanvir on his own, unsure what to do.
He thought he’d just pick up the race kit, maybe wander the city. But then curiosity got the better of him. Standing at the starting line, surrounded by thousands of strangers, he thought: why not? One small decision later, he was in his very first race.
He had never run distances in his life. Yet here he was, aiming for 10 km. Nervous and not prepared. He wore a jacket in the sweltering heat. He carried his passport and cash while running. Still, he crossed the finish line in 75 minutes. It was painful but impressive. And a life-changing event without a doubt.
Picture: ActivePulse Bangladesh.
Global Lessons, Local Impact
Back in Dhaka, Tanvir couldn’t shake the memory. He and Morsaline started hunting for races at home. It was then that they realized that they could take Bangladeshi endurance sports to a world-class level. So, they did what most people only talk about. They built something new. Enter ActivePulse.
Their first test was a virtual running event called the “Run for the Roar–ActivePulse Half Yearly Run 2024”, themed around saving the Royal Bengal Tiger. It worked. Encouraged, they launched the country’s first-ever 15 km race. They even set up a race expo at the Hatirjheel Amphitheatre before the event, something Tanvir had spotted in Kolkata. The runners loved it. The scene in Bangladesh had a new spark.
From there, momentum only grew. ActivePulse organized kids’ dashes, women’s runs, and even corporate races. Dhanmondi and other venues became playgrounds for fresh ideas. Slowly, a community started to form.
Picture: ActivePulse Bangladesh.
But Tanvir and Morsaline didn’t stop there. They wanted world-class standards. So, in 2024, they packed their bags for Singapore and joined the Standard Chartered Marathon. They studied every detail. Soon after, both Tanvir and Morsaline took on Powerman Malaysia, a top duathlon event. Inspired, they brought the duathlon home and ran it with global-level rules. Bangladesh suddenly had something new.
The team raised the bar again by introducing AIMS-certified courses. That meant international accuracy for race distances. They even launched Limitless, a magazine focused on active lifestyles and sports.
Picture: ActivePulse Bangladesh.
What started as one man’s accidental run turned into a professional platform. ActivePulse faced financial hurdles and countless headaches, but it never wavered. Its mission stayed the same: get people moving, keep them moving.
For Tanvir, Morsaline, and their crew, the finish line is still far ahead. And that’s exactly how they like it. More cities and more races are certainly next.
