Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon : - Run Mumbai, Run! Mumbaaaaaaai! The city which never sleeps.

The city which never stops, not even for its own citizens. The city which wears that ironclad never-say-die attitude and tides over umpteen number of calamities. Natural or otherwise. The city which is home to people coming from various cultural backgrounds. The city which in many ways has a life, a character of its own. The city of a million dreams! //Corny Beginning I know. And on one chilly morning in the month of January, thousands of people of this colourful city choose to sacrifice their early sleep and gather around Aazad Maidan for one of the most electrifying events the city witnesses throughout the year. The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon! Out of a lot of events which go on in Mumbai, the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon would undoubtedly find a spot in the top 5 when it comes to the level of participation and organization with which it is carried out. It attracts participants from all over the globe and also enjoys a healthy amount of local participation. The event has five major categories, that of, Full Marathon (41.195km) , Half Marathon(21.097km), Dream Run(6km),Senior Citizen s Run (4.3km)and the Wheelchair Event (2.5km). The registrations for this colossal event start during the months of August and September of the previous year! And within the matter of a week all spots get filled up! //not sure about the grammar here Once the registrations are done, all the participants are required to collect their bibs and goodie bags from the venue informed to them by the managing authorities. //That place is also called the Marathon Expo..does that sound better? The event has a special category for the disabled which is The Wheelchair Event. It is extremely heartening to see participants moving forward despite their difficulties, with a broad smile on their faces. The event also encourages participants to Run for a Cause through pledges. The participants can acquire a pledge kit, choose a cause which is close to their heart and raise funds for the same. That factor only multiplies the satisfaction which the runners experience. The event exemplifies the spirit of Mumbai in a lot of ways. The participants surely sweat it out in their relentless efforts to make it to the finishing line. But there are many citizens who voluntarily stand along the corners of the roads, only to encourage the runners. In fact a few of them hold out packets of biscuits, water bottles, chocolates in their stretched hands, waiting eagerly to pass them on to a runner. The atmosphere is overwhelmingly positive and energetic and it just goes on to show that no matter how money and time oriented we might get, we Mumbaikars, are always willing to lend a helping hand to others. Apart from the citizens, there are official volunteers, musicians and radio teams who also cheer the runners. With cries of Run Mumbai Run.. Run Run Run to upbeat techno remixes to the kickass nasik dhols , there is hardly a moment of silence in the air. There are water booths, relispray counters at regular intervals to keep the runners going. //Runners going?

The finishing line is a photographer s heaven. All runners take their few last strides while letting their emotions flow out unchecked. Capturing the reactions and the expressions of a runner at the finishing line sure makes up one hell of a photograph! The routes for all the races are different and well planned. The Worli sea-link, which some say is an iconic structure for Mumbai*, is a part of the Half and Full Marathon routes. The other races are confined to the CST and Marine Drive areas. Traffic is halted for a certain time in all the races, after which the participants are requested to continue along the side of the roads if the wish to complete the race. There are mobile ambulances which operate swiftly in cases of emergency. Volunteers are stationed all along the routes to attend to problems which might arise during the race. All of that and the spirit of the runners ensures smooth execution of the entire event. Its not just a race, it s an experience of a lifetime. Its not just a race, it s a glimpse of how Mumbai looks on its feet. And you ve gotta run it, to believe it!