Want a selfie? Do pushups first-Milind Soman's fitness‑first selfie rule at marathon goes viral
ETimes | April 6, 2026 4:40 PM CST
By 6 am last Sunday, the running tracks at Pinkathon 2026 were already full. Women stood at the starting point, stretching, pinning their numbers, and getting ready for what was ahead. There was music playing in the background, but most of the energy came from the crowd itself. Some lined up for the 3 km, some for the 10 km.
Amid all this, actor and fitness enthusiast, Milind Soman , who organised the event, kept things to the tradition. Anyone who asked him for a selfie was made to do push-ups first: 20 for men, 10 for women. The photo came after. “When women see other women doing something for fitness, they start believing they can do it too,” he said. Interestingly, over 4,500 women had run, walked, and crossed the finish line. Among them were 20 visually impaired runners, over 50 cancer survivors, and 15 mothers who ran with their babies strapped to them.
Palak Rajgarhia, who had only started running a month ago, said being around so many women changed how she approached it. “Seeing all women run together pushes you. You just want to keep going,” she said. For Dr Mitali Upadhye, a cancer survivor, the 10 km run came after months of recovery. She went through surgery in September after her cancer relapsed, finished chemotherapy in November, and had been working on rebuilding her strength since then.
The start of something newCloser to the 3 km route, the energy felt lighter, with music, conversations, and groups moving together. Anamika Singh, who ran a 3 km marathon expressed, “I was nervous about whether I’d be able to finish, but it was so much fun. We were dancing for almost an hour before the run.”
As the morning wound down, medals were handed out, photos were taken, and groups slowly started to disperse. Conversations among the runners and supporters alike drifted toward what comes next, another run, a longer distance, or simply showing up again.
Amid all this, actor and fitness enthusiast, Milind Soman , who organised the event, kept things to the tradition. Anyone who asked him for a selfie was made to do push-ups first: 20 for men, 10 for women. The photo came after. “When women see other women doing something for fitness, they start believing they can do it too,” he said. Interestingly, over 4,500 women had run, walked, and crossed the finish line. Among them were 20 visually impaired runners, over 50 cancer survivors, and 15 mothers who ran with their babies strapped to them.
Palak Rajgarhia, who had only started running a month ago, said being around so many women changed how she approached it. “Seeing all women run together pushes you. You just want to keep going,” she said. For Dr Mitali Upadhye, a cancer survivor, the 10 km run came after months of recovery. She went through surgery in September after her cancer relapsed, finished chemotherapy in November, and had been working on rebuilding her strength since then.
The start of something newCloser to the 3 km route, the energy felt lighter, with music, conversations, and groups moving together. Anamika Singh, who ran a 3 km marathon expressed, “I was nervous about whether I’d be able to finish, but it was so much fun. We were dancing for almost an hour before the run.”
As the morning wound down, medals were handed out, photos were taken, and groups slowly started to disperse. Conversations among the runners and supporters alike drifted toward what comes next, another run, a longer distance, or simply showing up again.
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