The Hindu Business Line : Mumbai Marathon: Corporates, charities make it to the finish

RUNNERS ALL: Mr Deepak Parekh (left), Chairman, HDFC, and Mr Hemendra Kothari, Chairman, DSP Merrill Lynch Fund Managers Ltd, participating in the 7-km dream run at the Mumbai Marathon 2006 on Sunday. - Shashi Ashiwal

Mumbai , Jan. 15

IT SEEMED almost surreal, with a light golden moon still dominating the morning sky. A picturesque backdrop for the 30,000-odd people who put on their jogging shoes and got the Mumbai Marathon 2006 on the road, for the third year on a trot.

`Me Marathoner' read an advertisement on the belly of a local bus, giving a twist to the Shiv Sena's popular `Me Mumbaikar' campaign. But there was no politics this Sunday, though politicians such as the State Chief Minister, Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh, were present.

Corporate honchos were there too, but unlikely that there was much business banter. Mr Anil Ambani, a regular at the marathon, did the half-marathon of 21 km. And there was more corporate punch in the race with about 44 companies participating, said an organiser.

Putting last week's corporate results behind him was the TCS chief, Mr S. Ramadorai, running with a team from his company. Also present were teams from companies such as Pfizer and Essar, which is also an associate sponsor of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon. The over 42 kilometre full-marathon stretches through the business district of South Mumbai, alongside the promenade flanked on either side by the Arabian Sea and the sky-scrappers that dot the city skyline. Tracing through the city to Worli and Bandra, the race culminates at its starting point, the statuesque Victoria Terminus building providing the large canvas.

While professional athletes ran the full-marathon, the 21-km half-marathon also had serious participants. But there was lot of colour, cacophony and celebrity-runners for the 7-km Dream Run. People ran for different causes - for the girl child, AIDS awareness, disability organisations, peace and for the welfare of stray dogs. According to an organiser, about Rs 4 crore had been raised through people running for different charities last year. This year too saw active participation from the silver generation or the senior citizens, who matched their younger counterparts in both enthusiasm and stamina.

And cheering them were Bollywood's Bunty aur Bubli, actors Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee. They also flagged-off the marathon-leg for the physically challenged.

Kenya's Daniel Rono won the men's category, winning a prize money of $30,000 (Rs 13 lakh). Ethiopian Mulu Seboka bagged the women's category first place, winning $20,000 (Rs 8 lakh). The total purse for the marathon is $2,10,000 (Rs 92 lakh), given over several categories. There were other winners too. Whether they ran to open our eyes to their world or just for themselves, the physically challenged ended the day on a victorious note.