Anuradha Singh wanted to help others. A little more than a year ago, her friend and fellow Saratoga resident Pragati Grover suggested an organization she had heard of called Asha for Education, which holds marathons to raise money to provide education for underprivileged children in India. Singh looked into the organization and learned about its Asha­Silicon Valley chapter. She also found out about the Harbingers of Hope marathon program, which Asha recommended as a training program. In exchange for committing to raise money for charity, participants in Harbingers receive all the necessary training to participate in a marathon—training that they say can support even those who have never run a mile in their life. Singh wanted to give it a try.

And what she found in the training program and the marathon was incredible, she said. "It was fantastic. It really changed my life."

In her first year, as a trainee in the Asha marathon, Singh raised more than $8,000 through donations and pledges.

The next year, Singh tried even harder to spread the word about her experience and to get friends and family on board. She saw the different challenges many faced that kept them from participating.

"Many are us are older and not as fit. Some cannot or do not like to run. Some have injuries that make it hard for them. And many have children to take care of," she said. Singh came up with a solution to all the obstacles—she decided to create her own training program.

With the help of marathon trainer and coach Rajeev Patel, Singh started her own subgroup within the Harbingers training program, to provide less-fit participants with the opportunity to walk instead of run in the Oct. 31 marathon this year. They would meet at the West Valley College track three nights a week. In addition, she suggested they all bring their children with them, and the children could play on the grass within eyesight as their parents walked around the track.

"I told them, 'I promise, if you find that you can't do it three weeks in, you can stop,' " Singh said.

Finally, Singh had her group.

Sheela Jayaram, 43, remembers her first night coming to West Valley for the Asha training.

"I was struggling, huffing and puffing just walking around the track once. I said to Anu, 'How can you expect me to go 26.2 miles?' " she said, referring to the length of the upcoming marathon. "But last week, I hit 12 miles!"

Vasu Subbiah, 42, had sworn he would not be able to participate, having already had two arthroscopic surgeries on his knee to replace damaged ligaments. He was also concerned about the time commitment, but he says Singh changed his whole outlook on that.

"Like many things in life, you think you won't have the time, but you find you do," he said. "Too often people buy into the mindset that life is a spectator sport. You watch people run on TV and accomplish feats like Lance Armstrong does. But it's so much more worthwhile to participate."

Patel's training also made a huge difference to Saratoga residents Murli Thirumale, 43, and his wife, Vandana, 40.

"Four months ago, if you had said we would be able to run 13 miles all at once, we would have said 'Yeah, right, no way!' But now we are doing it," he said proudly. He also pointed out what a great place he thinks Saratoga is to go running, with its trees, plenty of shade, beautiful homes to look at while running, a mix of both flat and hilly roads and plenty of relatively empty roads that are safe to run along.

Saratoga resident Suchitra Vaidya, 40, who works as a health educator for Kaiser Permanente, credits her participation to Singh's motivation and inspiration.

"I definitely wouldn't be out here if it weren't for Anu," she said. "Anu has inspired us all." She says she, too, didn't think she could do it at first, wary of the physical requirements. "I admit it was a total challenge initially. Now, it is a lifestyle, a part of my life. Many of us want to continue meeting and walking and running even after the marathon."

Many of the Asha runners say their motivation is also fueled by the difference they see it makes in the lives of their children, as well. Singh's son Nishad, who will soon turn 9 years old, has been inspired by Asha to help those less fortunate.

"A while ago, I went to India. One day, I saw some poor people lying in the street. They seemed very thirsty and hungry. It was very sad," he remembers. "I gave them my lollipop, and then we walked away. Since that day I have become more concerned about poor people." Even though he suffers from asthma, Nishad goes to the West Valley College track three times a week with his parents and walks, runs and plays games with the other children.

The Thirumale twins, Antara and Meghana, celebrated their ninth birthday last year. On the invitations they sent out for their party, they asked their parents to write that, in lieu of presents, they would like people to donate to Asha. They raised $325 for the cause, Singh said.

The West Valley College tracks have now become a cultural epicenter for the Indian community on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

"It's easy to just send a check. But to actually participate and inspire others to participate is so much more meaningful to us," says Jayaram. "And even more so, the kids in India know that we run 26 miles so that they can have desks in their classroom."

The Asha­Silicon Valley marathon takes place on Oct. 31. For more information on Asha for Education's local chapter, visit www.ashanet.org/siliconvalley/marathon/. To make donations, or to join the local Asha runners, call Anuradha Singh at 408.839.6149 or email her at anuradhatsingh@hotmail.com.