51�Թ�

The race does not make a profit - the number of runners is capped because of limited space on the track - but race director Shankara Smith says she will “keep doing it for as long as the runners want to do it”.

The eighth-century Hindu philosopher Adi Shankara asserted that ultimate reality is an eternal, undifferentiated field of consciousness.

Two other major ophthalmic centres in India have been involved in building the algorithm – Narayana Nethralaya in Bengaluru and Shankara Nethralaya hospital in Chennai.

“By partnering with well-known institutions like Aravind eye hospital and Shankara Nethralaya, we can continue our research and pilot studies in implementing AI-powered screening technology, and then extend it to clinical practice,” says Dr Lily Peng, a Google product manager.

Shankara Smith, the race director, says that the biggest challenge is yourself.