Running News Daily

Gulveer Singh, Sanjeevani Jadhav headline Indian elite field at World 25K Kolkata

With World 25K Kolkata becoming the world’s first Athletic Gold Label race at this distance, the Indian elite field has swelled with 27 men and 13 women vying for the honours along the picturesque setting of the Red Road on December 15.

The USD 142,214 prize money race will witness some of India’s best athletes take centerstage. With equal prize money for the Indian elite men and women winners, the first three in each race stand to win Rs 3,00,000, 2,50,000, and Rs 2,00,000 respectively. The Indian elite men and women runners will also be further incentivised by an event record bonus of Rs 1,00,000 each.

Avinash Sable holds the current event record in the Indian elite men’s category, with a time of 1:15:17, and L Suriya holds the women’s record, with a time of 1:26:53.

The well-stocked men’s field will be led by the current sensation Gulveer Singh, who is in the midst of a purple patch. He is the current 5000 m (13:11:82) and 10,000 m (27:14:88) national record holder, and has also won a gold medal at the 17th Asian Cross-Country Championship 2024 held in Hong Kong recently. He is also the Asian Games 2022 bronze medallist in the 10,000 m.

Sawan Barwal, the defending champion (1:17:49), returns to Kolkata after winning Delhi Half Marathon 2024 along with Abhishek Pal, the winner of the 2022 edition of TSK 25K. He also won a silver medal at the recently concluded Asian Cross-Country Championship and DHM 2023. The men’s challenge will also see Kiran Matre looking to be a dark horse with a top-of-the-podium finish in World 10K Bengaluru 2024 with a new Indian Course Record. He came third at DHM 2024.

While recounting his recent exploits Gulveer Singh said, “The 2024 session was very good for me. I set four national records in this session, and I’m so motivated. International standards are very high as compared to India. We got a pacer there to do our best. This is my first time in World 25K and I will try to finish in the top three.”

Sanjeevani Jadhav will be the pre-race favourite in the women’s field. She recently won the World 10K Bengaluru 2024 and also earned a silver medal at the Asian Cross-Country Championship. She was also the winner of the 2022 edition (1:34:23) of TSK 25K. She is in red hot form, but she will get tough competition from Lilli Das, who won the DHM 2024. Kavita Yadav, winner of DHM 2023 and second at DHM 2024, will be no pushover either.

“I am well prepared for the World 25K Race. The 2024 year was good for me individually, but I am more focused on 2025 because I am preparing for the Asian and World Championships, and I want to do my best in these championships.

“TSW 25K is more important because we get a chance to compete with the world’s best athletes, and it’s a great opportunity to give our best performance individually and do my personal best in the race. This year, I will try to break the course record my senior colleague L Suriya made earlier,” Sanjeevani said.

With a bright line-up of athletes only one can imagine the competition in store when the flag waves on Sunday.

Ezekiel Kemboi offers advice to India’s Avinash Sable on becoming a world-class steeplechaser

The four-time world champion has encouraged India’s Avinash Sable to adopt strategic methods to elevate his steeplechase career.

Legendary Kenyan steeplechaser Ezekiel Kemboi has extended a golden piece of advice to India’s rising star Avinash Sable.

The two-time Olympic champion and four-time world champion emphasized the importance of high-altitude training to build strength, endurance, and resilience.

During his visit to India, Kemboi shared his insights on what it takes to excel in the grueling 3000m steeplechase event.

“I think the Indian guy Sable, the steeplechaser, the boy is still young. He still has a lot of time. What I want him to do is to have some motivation for himself. To have a vision, to have a target. To target what comes in a year, like world championship, Olympics," he said.

Sable, who recently represented India in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at the Paris Olympics but finished 11th, has been touted as a promising athlete on the global stage.

The 30-year-old has already made history for India, clinching a silver medal at the 2019 Asian Championships, another silver at the Commonwealth Games, and a gold and silver at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

However, Kemboi believes that Sable has the potential to achieve even greater success if he embraces a more tailored training regimen.

Kemboi, widely regarded as one of the greatest steeplechasers in history, suggested that Sable train in the high-altitude regions of Kenya or Ethiopia, known for producing world-class distance runners.

“I also want to request if it could be possible for him to go to Africa… Kenya or in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for some intense training which will focus on building up his endurance so that he gets more power while running,” Kemboi advised.

The Kenyan legend stressed the role of high-altitude training in preparing the body for the physical demands of steeplechase, a race that combines speed, stamina, and technical skill over water jumps and barriers.

“Just go for high-altitude training... because we have the best altitude for training in the regions of Kenya and Ethiopia for his body system to adapt to endurance,” he added.

Kemboi, who dominated the water-and-barrier race for more than a decade, has an unmatched legacy in the sport.

He is one of the few athletes to win two Olympic gold medals in steeplechase (2004 Athens and 2012 London) and four World Championship titles (2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015).

His illustrious career also includes three silver medals at the World Championships and a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

Reflecting on his experience, Kemboi highlighted the significance of setting clear goals and following a structured approach to training.

“What I want him to do is to have some motivation for himself. To have a vision, to have a target,” Kemboi reiterated, encouraging Sable to aim for success at future World Championships and Olympics. 

Sable’s journey from modest beginnings to becoming a national icon has already inspired countless young athletes in India.

Kemboi also acknowledged Sable’s youth and determination as assets that could help him achieve a breakthrough on the international stage.

The Kenyan champion invited Sable to join him for training at his base offering a golden opportunity to learn from one of the sport’s finest.

El Bakkali retains Olympic steeplechase title in Paris

Soufiane El Bakkali successfully defended his title in the men's 3000m steeplechase at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, winning his fourth successive global title in the event.

The Moroccan, competing in just his second competition of the year, emerged from the pack on a frantic final lap to win in 8:06.05.

USA's Kenneth Rooks, who burst into the lead at the bell and led up until the home straight, took a surprise silver in a big PB or 8:06.41, finishing 06 ahead of Kenya's Abraham Kibiwot, earning another bronze following his third-place finish at the World Championships last year.

World record-holder Lamecha Girma was part of the pack when the kicking started on the final lap, but the Ethiopian had fell hard with 200 metres to go and was a non-finisher, eventually having to be carried off the track on a stretcher.

The opening pace was fast as India’s Avinash Sable took an early lead, closely followed by a trio of Ethiopians: Getnet Wale, Samuel Firewu and Girma. El Bakkali was positioned close behind.

Wale and Firewu then took brief spells at the front with the first 1000m being covered in 2:40.53, putting them on course to break the Olympic record.

The pace settled down during the middle of the race as Sable drifted back through the pack, leaving the three Ethiopians at the front with Firewu doing most of the leading. Uganda’s Leonard Chemutai briefly moved up through the pack, prompting Firewu to increase the pace.

Kenya’s Simon Koech then hit the front and led the field through 2000m in 5:29.8 as the pack started to bunch up. With two laps to go, El Bakkali’s teammate Mohamed Tindouft moved through the field and into second place, but the real drama started on the final lap.

As soon as the bell rang, Rooks darted into the lead and immediately opened up a gap of two metres on the rest of the field. El Bakkali was navigating his way through a field that included Girma, Firewu and Kibiwot.

Among all the chaos, Girma tripped and fell hard, lying motionless on the track. The rest of the field charged forward with El Bakkali moving onto Rooks’ shoulder coming off the bend.

The Moroccan then strode into the lead and sprinted hard off the final barrier, winning in 8:06.05. Rooks crossed the line 0.36 later with Kibiwot claiming the bronze medal in 8:06.47.

Tunisian duo Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui and Ahmed Jaziri finished fourth and fifth. Jhinaoui set a national record of 8:07.73 and Jaziri was rewarded with a PB of 8:08.02, also inside the previous national record.

2022 World 10K Bengaluru to be held on May 15

The World Athletics elite label road race event hasn’t been held since 2019 due to COVID-related restrictions.

The World 10K Bengaluru 2022 will be held on May 15, the organizers of the event announced on Thursday.

A World Athletics elite label road race event, the World 10K Bengaluru 2022 will be returning after a three-year hiatus and is slated to be held in full capacity. The run was postponed multiple times in the last two years due to COVID-19.

The event will be conducted in two formats: on-ground and a virtual app-based run. 

The four on-ground events will be flagged off at the iconic Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

While the open 10K category will have some of the world’s elite athletes, Majja Run (5km), Senior Citizen Run (4.2km) and Champions with Disability (4.2km) will see the participation of amateur runners from across the country. 

The virtual app-based run, meanwhile, will be held via the specialized event app for two race categories – Open 10K and 5K. Registrations for the World 10K Bengaluru 2022 begin on March 25 and close on May 11.

The last edition, which was held in 2019, saw Agnes Tirop of Kenya become the first women’s athlete to defend her title at World 10K Bengaluru. Ethiopia’s Andamlak Belihu took his first win in the men’s race.

Among the Indian elites, Asian championships bronze medalist Parul Chaudhary topped the women’s race.

Lakshmanan Govindan won the men’s Indian elite run ahead of Olympian Avinash Sable.

Indian Avinash Sable looks to push himself more after surprising half marathon success

Considering the dominance with which he won the Indian competition at the 2020 Delhi half marathon (his time of 1.00:30 was nearly four minutes in front of the second placed Indian (1.04:16) and shattered the old national record of 1.03:46 by nearly three and a half minutes), it's hard to overlook the fact that Avinash Sable had been treating the race almost like an afterthought.

"I only found out I was going to be taking part in the race until about a month ago," says Sable, who, on Sunday, was running only the third half marathon race of his career. The 26-year-old's priority, he says, remains the 3000m steeplechase event, in which he is the reigning national record holder, more so since that's the race for which he qualified for the Tokyo Olympics last year.

Yet, after he had originally made the cut for Tokyo at the World Championships in Doha, Sable hadn't really had any sort of competition. He had travelled for a month to Morocco last year and then had headed to the high altitude training center in Ooty in preparation for the Olympics. That event, like most of the year's athletics competitions, would be cancelled even as the coronavirus pandemic spread across the world.

Sable's decision to compete in New Delhi was largely a response to this predicament. "It's incredibly frustrating to train the entire year and not have any competition to take part in. You can only see where you need to improve during competition," he says. This assessment is backed up by his coach Amrish Kumar as well. "He needed to take part in a competition. Any competition, even a 1500m race would do," says his coach Kumar.

The need for competition is particularly acute for Sable, owing to his inexperience as a runner. It was only in 2015 that the then 21-year-old sepoy in the Indian Army, who had completed tours of duty at the Siachen glacier, Sikkim and Rajasthan, had been scouted by the army running program.

"He is a very strong runner and he gets better with every race that he runs. But unless he competes, he won't ever know what mistakes he is making. He will always be short of confidence when he competes against the elite runners, who have been running for many years," says Kumar.

While a half marathon is seven times the distance of the 3000m steeplechase, there were elements of preparation the two events had in common. "Both races need a certain amount of endurance. If you can train for endurance in the 21km race, that will also help you out in the 3000m race," says Kumar.

The postponement of the Olympics had also worked out in Sable's favour. "Of course, he was looking forward to taking part in the Olympics this year. But at the same time, we knew that it would be very difficult for him to compete for a good position based on his current level. So when the Olympics was postponed, I motivated Avinash by reminding him that he could get much stronger by next year," says Kumar.

What that additional training time meant was that instead of focusing on the Olympics, Sable could work on building his base for the next season. Even more fortuitous for Sable was that the Delhi half marathon fell right in the middle of his endurance training period. "When we got the opportunity to take part in the half marathon, he was already running 280km each month. He only did two or three training sessions focused on the half marathon before the race," says Kumar.

It speaks to Sable's far improved physical conditioning that he recorded the time he did with as little practice as he had, improving on his previous best half marathon time of 1.03:58. He certainly felt so himself. "Before the race I wasn't very nervous. Coach only told me to sleep well and not worry about how the others were doing. He told me that while my target was to go under 1 hour, there wasn't going to be a chance that I'd do worse than 1 hour and one minute," says Sable.

More details about the Delhi Half Marathon Record performances

t was a great morning for the 2020 World Half Marathon bronze medallists as Ethiopians Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Amedework Walelegn both picked up $37,000 wins ($27k for 1st, $10k for event records) in event record time today at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon.

The headline performance came in the women’s race where Yehualaw, the 21-year old who just missed out on winning in Delhi by 1 second last year in 66:01, ran an unofficial 64:46, the second-fastest women’s half marathon in history on a records-eligible course.

The 5 Fastest Women’s Half Marathons Ever1 64:28* Brigid Kosgei KEN 2019 Great North Run 08.09.20192 64:31 Ababel Yeshaneh ETH 2020 RAK Half 21.02.20203 64:46 Yalemzerf Yehualaw ETH  2020 Delhi Half 28.11.20194 64:49 Brigid Kosgei KEN 2020 RAK Half 21.02.20205 64:51 Joyciline Jepkosgei KEN 2017 Valencia 22.10.2017*Not records eligible

In the men’s race, the Walelegn, also 21, won a three-way sprint finish in an unofficial 58:52 as two-time defending champion Andamlak Belihu of Ethiopia and Stephen Kissa of Uganda also broke 59:00 to finish second and third respectively. The order of finish today was the same as it was at World Half last month as in Poland Walelegn was third, Belihu was 5th and Kissa 19th. 2017 and 2019 world 5000 champion ran Muktar Edris of Ethiopia also ran very well today in his debut as he was in fourth in 59:04 .

The course this year was different than in years past due to Covid-19 but the event record coming in was 59:06 for the men and 66:00 for the women.

Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw produced a stunning run over in the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon  2020, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, to clock the second fastest  women’s time ever over the distance when she crossed the line in the  Indian capital in 64:46. 

The 21-yearold, who had to settle for third at the World Athletics Half  Marathon Championships last month when she slipped around 80 metres  from the line, bounced back with aplomb to take the $27,000 first prize and  an additional $10,000 as an event record bonus. 

In the men’s race, the event record – with the course having been  changed significantly from previous years – also fell when Amdework Walelegn outsprinted his Ethiopian compatriot and two-time defending  champion Andamlak Belihu to win in 58:53, the latter coming home in  58:54 and just missing out on an unprecedented third title. 

A blistering pace from the gun was set in the women’s race by the  Kenyan male pacemaker Alex Kibarus and several of the elite field were  quickly dropped. 

Six women – three Kenyans: Irene Cheptai, 2019 world marathon  champion Ruth Chepngetich and marathon world record holder Brigid  Kosgei; and three Ethiopians: two-time defending champion and event record holder Teshay Gemechu, world record holder Ababel Yeshaneh and Yalemzerf Yehualaw – followed Kibarus through 5km in 15:27. 

World marathon record holder and recent London Marathon winner  Kosgei was forced to drop out midway through the eighth kilometre, holding her leg as she limped to the side of the road. 

A kilometre later, Gemechu also started to suffer and lost contact with the  leaders although she hung on to eventually finish fifth.

Chepngetich, Cheptai, Yehualaw and Yeshaneh went through 10km  together in 30:49 as a thrilling race started to take shape. 

Cheptai was the next to fall away, becoming detached in the 12th kilometre with the remaining trio going through 15km in 46:15. 

With just three kilometres to go, and within the space of a few hundred  metres, first Chepngetich and then Yeshaneh found themselves unable to  stay with the pace. 

However, Yehualaw continued to follow Kibarus, and once he dropped  out with two kilometres to go it was just a question of how much she would  take off Gemechu’s 2019 course record of 66:00. 

In the end, she improved the mark by more than a minute, aided by a  strong run over the final quarter of the race. 

Yehualaw won in 64:46 but Chepngetich also ran the race of her life to  finish in a personal best of 65:06 and move up to equal-sixth on the world  all-time list.  

“My training since the world championships told me that maybe I could  break the course record as I ran 65:19 there, but this was more than I  expected, and I hoped for a win here after just losing by a second a year  ago,” said Yehualaw. 

“My plan was to push hard with two kilometres to go and that helped my  fast time, and it was also very nice weather,” she added, with early  morning temperatures in Delhi around 12-14 degrees Celsius. 

In the men’s race, three pacemakers took field through 3km in 8:22 and  then 5km in 13:57 – well under 59-minute pace – with Belihu always to the  fore. 

The main pacemaker, Uganda’s Abel Sikowo, continued to forge ahead  and passed 8km 22:17 and then 10km in 27:50, with eight men still directly  in the wake of Sikowo who was doing an admirable job in keeping the  tempo high and sub-59 times definitely in sight. 

Just after 12km Sikowo dropped out and Belihu, along with Kenya’s  Leonard Barsoton, dictated matters at the front for the next two kilometres  although, as he was later to admit, this decision might have cost the  defending champion dearly in the later stages of the race. 

Eight men were still in contention at 15km, which was passed in 42:00. By  18km the leading group had slimmed just slightly to six men: the Ethiopian  quartet of Belihu, Walelegn, 2017 and 2019 world 5000m champion Muktar  Edris who was making his competitive debut over the distance, Tesfahun  Akalnew, Barsoton and Uganda’s Stephen Kissa. 

Akalnew started to falter shortly afterwards and with two kilometres to go,  Edris and Barsoton also started to drop off the back of the group as their  challenge for a place on the podium began to evaporate. 

Belihu, Walelegn and Kissa passed the 20km checkpoint in 55:59, and just  a hundred or so metres later, Walelegn threw down the gauntlet. 

However, Kissa was still full of running and darted between the two  Ethiopians with 500m to go and held the lead for the next 300 metres  before Walelegn found another gear and passed the Ugandan on his  right as he sprinted for the line. 

Walelegn finished in 58:53, the third fastest time of the year and an event record by 13 seconds as well as a personal best by 15 seconds. Belihu was  just one second in arrears and Kissa two seconds further back, both men also setting personal bests. 

“I had a few bad patches but in the final kilometre I felt strong. I was  second in Delhi in 2018 and this is a much faster course which has less  sharp turns,” commented Walelegn, reflected on the new circuit which  incorporated two six-kilometre loops. 

“I have to be happy as I ran a personal best. After the pacemaker  dropped out I pushed the pace but I think this might have left me with a  bit less energy when we sprinted in the last kilometre,” reflected Belihu,  who just fell short in his bid to be the first three-time winner in Delhi. 

In fourth place Edris ran 59:04, the second fastest debut over the distance  ever, while Avinash Sable smashed the Indian record by more than three  minutes when he ran 60:30 in tenth place.

Indian Steeplechase runner Avinash Sable wants to challenge the best at Delhi half-marathon

India’s 3,000-meter steeplechase record holder and Olympic hopeful Avinash Sable, starved of track races ahead of the Tokyo Games due to the pandemic, will run the weekend’s Airtel Delhi half marathon to keep his competitive juices flowing.

“My goal is to stay with the leading pack of elite runners and give a good timing,” Sable said from his base in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

His coach Amrish Kumar said the target was to clock 60 minutes for the 21.0975 km race. “He has been doing really well in training. In the lockdown period too he has been training consistently. He can go all out,” Kumar said.

If Sable achieves his ambitious target, he will better the national best—1:03:46 by Kalidas Nirave. The Indian best in the Airtel race is 1:03:54. Sable has not run under 64 minutes.

Sable often used to run road races in winter months when there are no track races, but has never attempted to race with the elite group led by Kenyans and Ethiopians due to the scorching pace they set. The elite winner usually runs under 60 minutes.

The surge in coronavirus cases across the globe has disrupted the athletics calendar as well. Sable said Sunday’s race will be a good platform to test his nerves. “I’m hungry to run hard and fast,” he added.

“The season has been frustrating. There was no competition because of the pandemic. I have done good endurance training. So I thought this will be a good platform to test myself against international athletes at home.

“I don’t run in marathons now—the last was in 2017. Both steeplechase and half marathons are tests of endurance. I was doing high-altitude training in Ooty in July and shifted to Bengaluru in August under Amrish sir,” Sable said.

Last year, the Maharashtra runner’s heroic efforts at the Doha world championships earned him a ticket to the Olympics. He lowered the national record twice in steeplechase, clocking a best of 8min, 21.37 secs (Olympics qualification mark: 8 min, 22 secs) in the final, finishing 13th out of 16 competitors.

“In steeplechase, I have worked on my speed, strength and hurdle technique. I know we will not get many competitions before Olympics. I have to work harder to improve,” said Sable.

Strict Covid protocols will be included in 2020 Delhi half marathon

The Delhi Half Marathon is going ahead as per schedule on November 29 with a star-studded field of foreign athletes as well as a strong Indian line-up despite the rising number of coronavirus cases in the national capital. The organizers have planned a slew of safety measures to ensure safety for all.

Significantly, the 15 elite women and 18 men will be applying online for an exemption from quarantine before arriving in the country. That procedure can be initiated only post a negative RT-PCR test result obtained not earlier than 72 hours before traveling to India. All participants will also have to fill in and submit a health declaration form. All 33 were self isolating for 15 days prior to their flight as instructed by the race organizers.

Once the athletes start arriving in Delhi on November 23, they will be stationed at an upscale hotel which will be a bio-secure zone. They will also be issued with a list of SOPs. These include restricted movement access and social distancing protocols. All the racers including Indians will be subject to two further RT-PCR tests prior to race day and only if they test negative will they be allowed to run. 

Apart from the COVID-19 threat, Delhi is also reeling under poor air quality conditions. To tackle this, low power-pulsed Wifi waves will be used to clear air pollutants and ecologically safe reagents will be sprayed at strategic points.

Star-studded fieldThe 16th edition of the World Athletics Gold Label Race will see one of the strongest line-ups in its history. Marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei and Ababel Yeshaneh, World Half Marathon record holder will join the fray apart from defending champions Tsehay Gemechu and Andamlak Belihu.

Among Indians, Avinash Sable, Srinu Bugatha and Abhishek Pal will be in focus among the men while Parul Chaudhary, will lead the Indian women’s category along with Sanjivani Jadhav, Monika Athare and Chinta Yadav.

“It is a star-studded field and most athletes have not competed in a long time and it will be a great opportunity to test ourselves against the world’s elite athletes in our own backyard,” Avinash, who has already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, opined.

Govt to launch fitness app in Jan: Sports secyNew Delhi: Sports secretary Ravi Mittal revealed on Saturday that the government is planning to launch the Fit India app next year which would help users evaluate and improve their fitness levels. “We are developing the Fit India app next year. We will be launching this app sometime in January.  It will be like other health apps but the main thing will be that everyone will be able to evaluate their fitness,” Mittal said during Airtel Delhi Half Marathon press conference. The secretary also praised the race organizers and extended his best wishes. “Events like this will help us to understand that things are slowly getting normal. So these events will help in strengthening our mind. I would like to request Procam to organize more such marathons before the Olympics, so we can strengthen the mind.”

Srinu Bugatha is set to defend his title at Delhi Half Marathon

Srinu Bugatha will be back to defend his title as the Indian winner in the Elite men’s category at the 16th Airtel Delhi Half Marathon later this month against strong challenge from the likes of Avinash Sable and Abhishek Pal.

Bugatha also won the Tata Mumbai Marathon earlier this year while Pal won the title in 2018, edging past Sable in a close finish in the final five kilometres.

Sable is the current National record-holder in 3000m steeplechase and is training for Tokyo next year, having already qualified for the Games.

Monika in the fray

The competition among the women will be tougher with former winner Monika Athare, last year’s runner-up Parul Chaudhary, Chinta Yadav and Sanjivani Jadhav in the fray.

While Parul won the Half Marathon race at the Mumbai Marathon this year with a new course record, Monika finished third.

Registrations for all race categories are open till November 27 on the event website airteldelhihalfmarathon.procam.in

Olympian Sudha Singh and Srinu Bugatha will headline Indian challenge at Tata Mumbai Marathon

Army’s Srinu Bugatha and Olympian Sudha Singh will headline the Indian challenge in the men’s and women’s section respectively in the USD$420,000 Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) to be held on January 19th.

The 17th edition of Asia’s prestigious World Athletics Gold Label Road race will see in action defending champions Cosmas Lagat of Kenya and Worknesh Alemu of Ethiopia in the international elite athletes’ line-up. Their winning timing of 2:09:15 and 2:25:45 is the second fastest timings in Mumbai Marathon history.

Leading the Indian elite men full marathon line-up is Army’s Srinu Bugatha, who won the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon and the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K 2019 editions, finishing the races in 1:04:33 and 1:18:31, respectively in last two months. Challenging him will be Rashpal Singh, Silver Medalist in Kathmandu South Asian Games 2019 along with Rahul Pal, winner of the Pune International Marathon 2019.

The Women’s full marathon line-up has Olympian and Arjuna Awardee, Sudha Singh, eyeing to add to her 3 TMM titles and firmly set on a hat-trick this year. Sudha won her first title in 2016 and after a year’s gap, she was champion in 2018 and 2019. Sudha will be challenged by Jyoti Gawte who won the Mumbai Marathon in 2017.

In the men’s half marathon category, Avinash Sable, 3,000 steeplechase national record holder, who shattered his own national record at World Championship at Doha in October & qualified for Tokyo 2020 Olympics will lead the field along with Shankar Man Thapa, who was the runner-up in 2019. Likewise, in the women’s half marathon, veteran athlete Swati Gadhave will face stiff opposition from 2019 runner-up & winner of 2018 edition, Monica Athare.

Running is the fastest growing urban sport and the participation numbers at the 2020 edition of TMM is a testimony to this – 19% increase in total participation. 9,660 runners in the full marathon, 15,260 runners in Half Marathon, 19,707 runners in the Dream Run, 8,032 runners in 10K, 1,022 runners in Senior Citizen Run and 1,596 runners in Champion with Disability. Women participation has surged to 35%, while the outstation participation and full marathon participation saw a growth of 22% and 15% respectively.

Vivek B Singh, Joint Managing Director, Procam International said: “More than 9000 runners doing the full marathon and crossing the 50,000 mark for total number of participants – both are humbling milestones for us. To see India, embrace running is a dream come true for us.

We are thankful to the Government of Maharashtra, Mumbai Police, MCGM, our sponsors and our runners who have given their rock-solid support in the incredible journey of the Tata Mumbai Marathon. We wish all the participants a successful and enjoyable race day!” he added.