Several months ago, shortly after moving to Mumbai, Philip and I decided to enter the biggest running event in India's calendar, the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon. Whilst the marathon is the main attraction, drawing elite runners from around the world, the event actually includes a half marathon and several shorter fun runs, with approximately 40,000 people participating in total. It's the one day of the year when the major routes of South Mumbai are cleared of traffic and there is the opportunity to run freely in the open on Mumbai's streets, a rare privilege in this busy city.
At the time we applied, I hadn't run a 10k, never mind a half marathon, and so I decided that running the half marathon would be more than stretching enough in itself. Phil, bravely, decided it was time to try the full marathon distance. Getting a place is non-trivial - you have to apply very quickly on the day that applications open - but you will usually manage this if you have a 10k or half marathon timing certificate to prove that you can run. I didn't, but saw that there is a special category for women without timing certificates to encourage women who haven't run much before to get involved. I tried this route, and it worked, albeit I knew that a consequence of this approach would be starting right at the back of the field...
We both enjoy running and did a bit in the UK, but it is only now that we are living in Mumbai that I realise that I took the running opportunities available in the UK for granted. There are several challenges with running outdoors in Mumbai - there is very little green outdoor space, the air is badly polluted (particularly at certain times of year) and it's hot and humid. But we like a challenge, and it's always fun to run, so we've tried to keep it up despite the barriers. Phil often gets up at 6am on a Sunday to meet with a group of running friends, and I've tried to keep up running in the gym and more recently at Joggers Park, a 400m walking/running track fairly close to our apartment.
Saying that, we were both under-prepared for our respective races. I had been doing two to three runs a week on a treadmill in the gym in November / December, which is better than nothing, but doesn't prepare you for outdoor running conditions. I then got a sore throat / cough / cold just before Christmas which I didn't shake off (eventually with the help of antibiotics) until a week before the half marathon, resulting in little to no training in that period. My entire outdoor training consisted of one 13k run at Mahalaksmi racecourse (the best place that we've found to run in the city) last week. Oh dear. Phil had done more than me, with a couple of 20k+ runs, but he's only really been in training for a couple of weeks where as a marathon requires months of prep. He is naturally fit, but would his legs be strong enough without sufficient miles on the clock?
Mindful of the fact that my training plan had been light to non-existent, I set myself three simple objectives for the race. 1) Finish. 2) Don't get injured. 3) Try to go under 2 hours if possible. Whatever the outcome, the atmosphere at the half marathon is supposed to be fantastic so I decided that I might as well just try to enjoy it.
Following eating a big bowl of pasta for dinner, we went to bed early last night given that our alarm was set for 330am this morning. Both our races would be underway by 6am, we had to get there an hour before and travel to the starting point (different for the half and full marathon). Overall, the early start is worth it to avoid the heat, but it's hard to appreciate that at 330am on a Sunday! Phil got a lift down south to the start of his race whilst I wandered down the road (trying to avoid the scary feral dogs) to the half marathon starting point located conveniently close to our apartment in Bandra.
On the whole, the event was extremely well organised. The races set off on time, everything was clearly sign-posted, the chips worked, there was lots of water/juice/biscuits/oranges on the route and the level of dis-organisation and carnage in the holding pens was low. Security was high, as is necessary in Mumbai, given the attacks in the city in recent years and high and international profile of this event. The biggest challenge for me was that I was in the last pen, albeit I made it to the front of the area by arriving early. I was therefore stuck behind lots of people who didn't attempt to run when we crossed the start line, which led to a lot of dodging and weaving between people for the first 7k to 8k, making it difficult to settle into a running rhythm. I finished around 1000 out of 12000 people, but started more than halfway back, so there was a lot of overtaking going on! It does though increase ones confidence to be overtaking the pack rather than being overtaken yourself. It is good for one's morale....
The first half of the race took place in the dark and involved crossing the Bandra-Worli sealink which was rather exciting. The sun came up after the first 10k and I was feeling relaxed and comfortable (probably owing to the slow start) up to the 13k mark. Unfortunately, there is a hill lasting over a kilometre between 13k and 15k which I did not like, at all, and I could feel that my legs were beginning to suffer. Unfortunately, my visions of sprinting off for the last 5k using my remaining energy did not come to pass and it felt more like a matter of hanging on, but I'm pleased that I ran all the way and finished spot on 2 hours. The second half of my race was still faster than the first and I suspect that I would have found the end of the race much easier had I actually done some long runs beforehand, so I've only got myself to blame.
I felt remarkably fine after the race, probably because I'd been munching on the various food/drink options on offer throughout, and recovered by enjoyed a complimentary massage in the recovery tent and collecting my medal. The post-race area was vast with a vibrant atmosphere as the participants enjoyed their post-race refreshments. This is still India though, and there were lots of street urchins keen to take my food goodie bag off my hands. After a couple of biscuits, I decided that they needed it more than me and gave it away.
Whilst I was feeling chirpy, Philip was having a tough end to his race. He stayed on target for the first 21k but his feet blistered badly after that (they are really quite disgusting) and his legs began to suffer. He still ran what I think is great time, 3h50, but this was below his expectations. He was a funny shade of grey when I met him after the finish line, so he did a great job to finish, although is now struggling to walk, and cannot currently do stairs! This just proves that a marathon is a big undertaking. My feedback point to Phil is that a pair of new and proper breathable sports socks might be in order (he wears normal black work socks with his running trainers...) so I hope that this will make a difference next time.
There were several brilliant-ly Indian aspects of the event. The streets were lined with musicians for the final few kilometres (huge speakers, very loud music) and the crowds were very enthusiastic throughout the race. There were some runners who were awe-inspring. Phil was overtaken in the marathon by an old man running in bare feet wearing an old open shirt and loin cloth. I also saw the elite marathon runners at one point who were tanking along, quite incredible over that distance. My favourite part were the "Cool Zones" which were shown on the race map and turned out to be rows of air conditioning units (outside!) making no difference to the race temperature whatsoever. A nice try, but probably not worth it for next time.
We went home once Phil had finished as he wasn't feeling great but he managed a post-race photo once we got home.
My race number indicates where I came in the pecking order
A bit tired
After a good snooze, we had a mountain of breads and curry as a mid-afternoon meal and everyone is now feeling much better.
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