Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon: Daughter of a farmer set to make debut

Supriya Patil

Supriya Patil, the daughter of a farmer from a remote village in Navi Mumbai, is set to take the world by storm as she prepares to make her debut at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon.

The 22-year-old started her running journey in a small farm in Uran at the age of 12 and has never looked back ever since. While her parents have barely been able to provide her with any financial support, they have always backed her to do well.

Ever since she turned professional in 2009, she has been impressive and has been clocking really good results under the tutelage of her coach Dilip Patil. After impressing with good performances at marathons in the years gone by, she’s finally set to debut in her first full 42 km race.

“I used to race in school and local events in Navi Mumbai. Dilip sir used to run himself and when he saw me do well, he started coaching me. As I started winning, my parents too realised that I have some talent and started sending me for district level tournaments. They sent me to Hyderabad in 2009 and I finished fifth in my first attempt. After that, they gave me full freedom to compete anywhere in India,” Supriya said.

In Hyderabad in 2011, she clocked 1:41:17 finishing 5th, while the following year she finished 3rd with a time of 1:23:15, just behind Vijaymala Patil who had a time of 1:22:25 and the winner Priyanka Singh who clocked 1:21:55. The 22-year-old also has consistently finished third at the Thane 15 km run, while also claiming podium in the Noida half-marathon in 2012. 2013 was her best year till now, as she went on to win the Goa half marathon in Panjim, following it with a win at the 21 km Hiranandani race in Mumbai.

Her confidence was further boosted after finishing 2nd in Jaipur (21km) and Vadodara (21km) events.

“I have been training since the last one month and the way my season has turned out so far, I hope to do well on debut in the Mumbai Marathon. As there is no playground or stadium in Uran, I train for two hours on the road in the morning with Dilip sir and workout for two hours in the evening too,” Supriya says.

“The weather has been good this year as compared to the last edition and I hope I have a realistic chance to finish in the top 5. If Vijaymala can come second on debut, I can do that too,” she finishes confidently.