12 hour Mumbai Ultra-Marathon sees overwhelming response

Mumbai, August 15, 2015: The second edition of the Ultra-Marathon on Independence Day saw 350 people run for 12 hours in a non-commercial event which involved neither registration fee nor prize money. Over a thousand people accompanied the ultra-marathoners, running for a few hours along the route.

The Mumbai Ultra 12-hour run was founded with the idea of encouraging more people to embrace a healthier lifestyle by including running in their daily lives. The event is organized by runners and friends of the Shivaji Park Marathon Club.

The highlight of the run was the participation of 77-year-old visually-impaired runner Amarjeet Singh Chawla and physically challenged Satyaprakash Tiwari, who participated in a wheelchair.

The Ultramarathon is a long distance running event, run over the traditional marathon distance of 42.2 km. The run involved loops of 12km between Shivaji Park and Worli Sea Face, with runners attempting to complete as many loops as they could within 12 hours. Runners were allowed to walk in the middle, to take a break for breakfast or lunch, but were on the road for 12 hours. The run flagged off at 5 am and went on till 5 pm.

Pranav Mehta, member of the organising committee at Shivaji Park Marathon Club said, “The idea was to get people to run 12 hours at a stretch to send out a message to the city that this is not a big deal. Anyone, even first timer can also do it. With the intent to promote running as a tool that supports our physical and mental well-being, the event was non-commercial in nature.”

All the costs of the event were met through voluntary donations from organizers, supporters and sponsors.

The run was successful due to tremendous support from participants, supporters, volunteers, cheering crowd and even onlookers. In the absence of sponsorships, the organisers received voluntary support, from the police and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to doctors and physiotherapists.