The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon is all set to be staged tomorrow, on what will be a cool Sunday morning. With more than 42,000 runners having registered for the event, the biggest race of the country is all set to be a roaring success.
There are several categories, with 6,342 runners having registered for the full marathon, another 14,663 for the half marathon and 19,980 for the dream run. The Senior Citizen Run features 921 entries and the Champions with Disability has 433 registrations.
Also read: Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon: Not just another run
In what is the 14th edition of the event, Sportskeeda rolls back in time to bring to the fore 10 facts that everyone needs to know about the Mumbai Marathon:
#10 John Abraham has been the face of the marathon since its inception. The actor, who himself has been very vocal about his dedication to fitness and charity and is the co-owner of the Delhi Waveriders in the Hockey India League, and NorthEast United FC in the Indian Super League, makes a perfect recipient for the role.
Talking about his association with this cause John was quoted as saying at a media conference earlier this month, “Each year I feel really honoured to be associated with this cause where people can support around 200 NGO’s and at the same time stay fit and healthy.”
#9 The marathon spans only half of the city of Mumbai, essentially south Bombay and does not even enter the suburban areas. The race route is such that it starts and ends from the heart of the city in the town area, near Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and stretches up to the Mahim Causeway before taking the reverse route back towards the southern end of Mumbai.
#8 It is the largest sporting platform for charity in the country by a huge margin, having raised more than 150 crores in the last 13 years. In this edition, though, United Way Mumbai, SCMM's official philanthropy partner, expects the amount to cross the 30 crore mark.
#7 Hugh Jones, former marathon runner and winner on many occasions, has been the race director of the event since its inception in 2004. In 1982 Jones became the first British man to win the London Marathon, finishing with a time of 2:09:24, which was also his personal best. Having run a total of 10 full marathons, he emerged as the winner in six of them.
#6 The race became an IAAF Silver Label Road Race in 2009. The IAAF elevated the race to an IAAF Gold Label Road Race in 2010.
#5 No Indian has ever won the Mumbai Marathon. Kenya has been the most successful nation at the event in the men’s field with the country’s athletes emerging as winners seven times since 2004. The women’s category, on the other hand, has Ethiopia as the most successful nations with 10 wins.
#4 It is one of the healthiest marathons to run with a zero mortality rate for the last two years. This year as well, there shall be 500 volunteers which will include medical staff from the Asian Heart Institute, who will be in place manning the route in order to avoid any sort of health hazards.
#3 SCMM has an official anthem which was composed by music director Taufiq Qureshi, with lyrics by Rachna Dixit and was sung by Shaan. The music was inspired by the sound of Mumbai.
#2 Only three Indians – Anju Bobby George, Rahul Bose and Vijay Amritraj – have been chosen to be International Ambassadors for the event. This year David Rudisha, the 28-year old Kenyan athlete, who is the reigning Olympic and world 800m champion, has been chosen as the ambassador.
#1 In terms of participation, race distance, and elite runners, the SCMM cruises past the other marathons in India and is in fact regarded as the most prestigious marathon in Asia.
