Mumbai Marathon: For that extra mile

Indian marathon and ultra marathon runners are now constantly looking for newer challenges—and signing up for some of the most formidable ones abroad

Villagers around a particular stretch in Ranganathittu, near Mysore, are still coming to terms with a hurricane that blows around their place for a day in September every year. That’s when hundreds of cars and bikes come from cities and a thousand-odd runners barrel down their unpaved roads for hours on end. By mid-afternoon, the hurricane has blown over; quiet and peace return.

Changing track: Rahul Verghese quit his corporate job to start a running company. By Priyanka Parashar/Mint

“They’ve gotten used to us now,” laughs Arvind Bharathi, head of Runners For Life, which organizes the popular Kaveri Trail Marathon. “But they still haven’t got used to people running for no reason. They must wonder why these city people have to come all the way to run up and down and go back.”

The good people of those villages are surprised, no doubt, but they would be shocked to know that their guests aren’t merely from Bangalore; several groups arrive from Mumbai, Delhi, and indeed, from villages even more remote than their own. It would be even more inconceivable for them to imagine that some of their countrymen are now frequenting foreign shores for the mere thrill of “running up and down and going back”.

Yet that’s what an increasing number of Indians have been up to. Having exhausted all that India has to offer, long-distance runners are exploring the world, signing up for the most formidable of challenges. A good example would be the annual 89km Comrades Marathon in South Africa, to be held in July this year. In 2009, there was one Indian participant—Amit Sheth, from Mumbai. The next year, Sheth, his wife Neepa and seven other Indians participated. By 2011 there were 15; this year, around 50 Indian runners are expected to sign up.

For a cause: Roshni Rai will run the Comrades Marathon to highlight the identity crisis faced by Gorkhas. By Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint

Now the Indian brand ambassador for the Comrades Marathon, Sheth acknowledges the spike in the graph over the last three years. “There is no doubt about the Indian presence,” he says. “For the Athens Classic Marathon commemorating the 2,500th year of the marathon in 2010, there were 25 or 30 Indians. Compared to the other countries, it’s still a small number. But since it was zero earlier, even a number of six or seven is impressive”.

Another good example would be the Berlin Marathon. In 2000, there were two Indian runners; by 2010 that number had shot up to 13. This year, 30 Indians have registered for the 39th BMW Berlin Marathon to be held on 30 September—nine of them are travelling from India. For the Boston Marathon on 16 April, which sets a stiff qualifying time, five Indians will be at the starting line, up from four in 2011.

It’s not just the city marathons that have caught the fancy of runners. In December, two Indians—Anand Anantharaman and Mala Honnatti—completed the 100km Antarctic Ice Marathon, following the example of Krishna Prasad Chigurupati and Uma Devi Chigurupati in 2010; earlier, in March, Sumanth Cidambi completed the gruelling 250km Atacama Crossing in Chile. Several other Indians have pushed their minds and bodies into endurance runs that were never even contemplated five years ago.

Why are Indians venturing abroad to punish themselves? Rahul Verghese, who quit his corporate career to form a running company, Running and Living Infotainment Pvt. Ltd, says that serious runners, having experienced every run India has to offer, seek bigger challenges. “Some of us are besotted by running, and we’d want to go to different continents or exotic locations,” he says. “It’s significantly different from India as it’s an energizing experience because of the crowds or the number of competitors. Some of the races are unique, like the Comrades Marathon, which is the only ultra marathon that attracts some 15,000 or more participants. There’s nothing similar to it anywhere in the world. As a runner, I’d love to test my limits in these events.”

The costs of participation and travelling apparently have not fazed running enthusiasts. Some plan their holidays around a run; others run while travelling on work, and yet others like to tick off the next big challenge.

Anantharaman, who has run a marathon on every continent, says he sought out extreme challenges because he’d done the regular circuit. “I’d run marathons in Mumbai, Singapore and Dubai. I thought I’d had enough of the city runs, and so I considered the exotic runs. Of course, you can do this only if you can afford it.”

Verghese believes the number of Indians travelling abroad for endurance events is bound to get significant enough to attract tour operators. Domestically, of course, the numbers are already big enough to warrant specialized services. The international traffic is still in its infancy, and it’s a proposition that interests Shashi Kumar, a holiday tour operator and endurance athlete himself. Kumar, who will take part in his second Half Ironman event (which consists of three legs—1.9km swimming, 90km cycling and 21.1km running) in Sri Lanka next month, is enthused about the numbers. “It’s a potential market, but it’s small now,” he says. “There’s a great future for it, maybe in five years’ time. Costs are quite high, though. I spent around Rs. 1 lakh for the Singapore Half Ironman in March 2011. Registration comes to around $250 (around Rs. 12,665). You want to do it because there is no Ironman event in India at the moment… plus it’s an ego trip.”

There are also those who associate an event with a cause. Roshni Rai, a Gorkha from Darjeeling, plans to highlight the “identity crisis” of her community by using the Comrades Marathon as a platform. She raised funds for 23 Gorkha participants from Darjeeling at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon last Sunday by creating awareness about their ethnic identity among her friends in Mumbai. Rai has qualified for the Comrades and she sees a connect between its origins and the Gorkha story. The Comrades Marathon was founded by Vic Clapham​, a soldier during World War I​, who decided to conduct this endurance event in honour of fellow soldiers who died during a 1,700-mile march in the eastern savannahs of Africa.

“I’m running to highlight the identity crisis of Gorkhas in India,” Rai says. “The Comrades has an inspiring history. When I run there, it will be a tribute to all the Gorkhas who have died for India.”

Iron and ultra

An Ironman is an endurance triathlon of swimming, cycling and running. Athletes must swim 3.86km, cycle 180.25km and run a marathon (42.195km) within 17 hours. Each Ironman event is part of a series organized by the World Triathlon Corporation. The Half Ironman has exactly half the distance of the Ironman. Those who can complete the series (23 Ironman and five Half Ironman events) can qualify for the Ford Ironman World Championship held every October in Hawaii.

Several marathons have attracted worldwide attention. The major marathons are in Boston, London, Chicago, Berlin and New York. There are marathons even in the North and South Poles.

In recent years, the “ultra marathon”—that is, any distance over 42.195km—has attracted serious runners. Among these, the Comrades Marathon (89km) and Badwater Ultramarathon (217km) are well known. In India, the most popular ultras are the Bangalore Ultra and La Ultra in Ladakh.

Forthcoming events

• Oxfam Trailwalker, 100km (10 February, Bangalore)

• Auroville Marathon, 10km, 21.1km, 42.2km (12 February, Auroville, Puducherry)

• Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon, 5km, 10km, 21.1km, 42.2km (12 February)

• Kilimanjaro Marathon, 21.1km, 42.2km (26 February, Moshi, Tanzania)

• R&L Corbett Half Marathon (7 April, Nainital, Uttarakhand

Source: .livemint