Running for change
MUMBAI: A record 55,232 people took to the streets on Sunday morning to participate in the Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) 2020. In its 17th edition, the event witnessed a 19% increase in total participation from 46,417 last year.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray; minister of tourism and environment, Aaditya Thackeray; and minister of food, civil supply, and consumer affairs, Chhagan Bhujbal were present to flag-off the event alongside actor Tiger Shroff, the face of Mumbai Marathon.
Many runners opted to make the marathon a family experience and attended the event with their parents, siblings, and children. Pravin Padmanabhan, an Indian Army personnel, participated in the half marathon (21.09km), but also convinced his family members to register for the 5.9-km Dream Run.
“He runs the Mumbai Marathon every year and keeps talking to us about it, which is when the kids and I decided that we too should join him and give it a shot,” said Geethu, Padmanabhan’s wife.
While there were no changes in the route for amateur participants, elite runners were expected to run around Oval Maidan twice. Several participants said that apart from small problems such as change in the medal counter location for full marathon runners, the facilities provided by the organisers were better this year. Those who ran for various charities said the marathon provided them with a “bigger platform” to reach out to people and spread their message.
“In other marathons, there is an elevation, which affects the pace of the runners. But, here it is a flat route, which helps us,” said Rohan Tandel, a software engineer who took part in the Dream Run.
Abhishek Pradhan, a resident of Powai, has been regularly running marathons organised at other locations across the city and this year decided to participate in TMM. “My motivation to run marathons is to reduce weight. At Mumbai Marathon I could sense an energetic vibe because the entire city comes together to participate in the event,” said Pradhan.
Rani Gupta, a student, ran to create awareness about girls who do not have access to education. “A platform such as a marathon helps us reach more people, so when we speak here, more people will hear,” said Gupta.
Industrialist Anil Ambani, lyricist Gulzar, actors Rahul Bose, Tara Sharma, and Milind Soman were also spotted at the event.
MUMBAI: Taking inspiration from the recently released Deepika Padukone movie, Chhapaak, which tells the story of an acid attack survivor, many young runners painted burn-like marks on their bodies to shed light on the issue. “There is a need to stop the sale of acid. We need more severe punishments for criminals who commit such crimes. Every year, around 200 people fall victim to acid attacks but this issue is going unnoticed,” said Sunil Mishra, one of the volunteers. The group attempted to rally attention to acid attacks on men. “Several men are also targeted but people hardly talk about it,” Mishra said.