The Boy Who Can't Stop Running
Wednesday July 7, 2010 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC News Network
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Budhia Singh is no ordinary four-year-old boy. From the age of three, he's been running at least twenty miles a day. At the age of four, he ran his first marathon. He's hoping to become the youngest endurance runner in the world. But is this the tale of an extraordinary talent, or a darker one of child exploitation...of Budhia doing his body damage as runs into the record books? This film tells Budhia's remarkable story that catapulted him to international fame.
Budhia's life has already been an epic struggle for survival. Driven by despair, Budhia's mother sold him to a peddlar for $20. Biranchi Das, a local judo coach, took pity on her plight and bought Budhia back. He decided to adopt him, and for the first time in his life Budhia was getting regular meals. It was then that he discovered Budhia's remarkable ability by chance and decided to train him as a marathon runner. Biranchi, though, has no experience of athletics or marathon coaching.
Budhia Singh
Over the last year Budhia has become a running phenomenon. He runs huge distances every day during Biranchi's training sessions. And from the day of his first half marathon in Delhi to full 26 mile events around India, Budhia has become a celebrity. His coach Biranchi is certainly grooming him for stardom and to become a future Olympic champion. But as Budhia's fame grows, so do the controversies. While Biranchi sees Budhia's success as a cause for celebration, others see it as clinching evidence of how Budhia is being exploited by his coach for his personal and selfish gain.
As the film unfolds, their plans becoming ever more ambitious and controversial. Just two days after running a half-marathon, his fifth event in just seven weeks, Budhia is set to run a staggering 75km, non stop, in the searing Indian heat. If he succeeds, he will gain official recognition as the world's youngest endurance runner. But the Minister for Child Welfare believes that the run could put Budhia's life at risk. With thousands lining the route, Budhia begins his epic journey.
Budhia Singh runningWith the world's media watching, Budhia runs until he can run no more. He covers 70km before stopping from exhaustion. The pictures of the event go round the world and thrusts Biranchi into the eye of an international storm. While Budhia recovers, the critics demand action. Three days later, Biranchi will be arrested for child cruelty and exploitation, summoning Budhia to be examined by a team of medical experts to check his health.
While Budhia is now banned from running in any events in his home state of Orissa, Biranchi is now getting him involved in events in other Indian regions and around the world. Clearly Budhia has an extraordinary talent, but is it right to make him run like this? Does Budhia have a future as an Olympic champion or will his body and mind pay the price for all this running at such an early age?
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