John Kelai of Kenya, the winner of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2008 (© AFP / Getty Images)
16 January 2009The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon is gearing up for its sixth edition. The race, to be held on Sunday (18), will be the penultimate leg of the “Greatest Race On Earth” (GROE) series.
The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon is an IAAF Silver Label Road Race.
In GROE, the Mumbai event is referred to as “historic”. No doubt that the past five editions have lived up to its parlance on the streets of this historic Indian city, which was earlier known as Bombay, with superlative performances by athletes from across the globe. But this year’s race will be more meaningful to the above term.
The city’s landmark buildings came under terrorist attack less than six weeks ago (26 Nov). The Taj Mahal and Oberoi Trident hotels, Chabad Lubavitch Jewish Centre, and Chatrapathi Shivaji (-Victoria) rail terminus were among ten places where the terrorists mindlessly massacred 195 innocent people, including 30 foreign nationals and 17 security personnel.
The attacks necessitated several changes in the sporting calendar as teams “to and from India” have either postponed or called off their itinerary. The English cricket team however returned to India for two test matches after abandoning two One Day Internationals following the Mumbai attacks only to give hope that sporting people would unite against terrorism.
Now it is the turn for athletes to show their solidarity.
The Mumbai Police will station about 800 officers and an equal number of traffic controllers for the event. Procam International, the event's organisers, have hired about 750 private security personnel besides 1,000 volunteers to see the race pass off peacefully.
Kelai goes for hat-trick
Kenya’s John Kelai, the winner here in 2007 and 2008, is all set to take his third title. With five other 2:10 runners also figuring on the elite start list, it will not be an easy task for this 32-year-old runner.
Competition for the top spot is mainly coming from his teammates Japhet Kosgei Kipkorir, a veteran of Tokyo and New York marathons besides Boniface Usisivu, a track athlete turned marathoner. Kosgei failed to finish the race last year, but is said to be in good form this season. Usisivu, credited with a personal best 2:07:50 from 2002, had wide running experience with his exploits in major marathons held in Berlin, Rome, Honolulu and Eindhoven and is expected to provide the right challenge.
Kenyan-born Frenchman Simon Munyutu will be another contender in the men’s race along with Morocco’s Abderrahim Bouramdane, last year’s Boston marathon second placer.
Ukraine’s Olexandr Kuzin looks prominent among the non-African entries with a 2:07:33 career best from Linz in 2007.
Ethiopian runners give the Kenyans a stiff challenge in marathons all over the world, and will bring in some leading names to Mumbai as well. Ketema Amerssissa, the winner of the 2007 Standard Chartered Lahore Marathon and fourth-place finisher at Mumbai last year, is back again along with teammates Rege Neguse, last year’s Expo marathon victor in Zaragoza, Kedir Burka and Feyisa Tusse.
Given ideal conditions the athletes promised to better Daniel Rono’s course record of 2:12:03 set in 2006 and also the Indian All-comers’ best of 2:11:59 which stands in the name of India’s Shivnath Singh for the past three decades. But the weather office already tipped hot and humid conditions for race day.
Okayo ready for comeback?
With eight sub-2:30 runners on the line-up, the women runners could take away the sheen from the men.
Margaret Okayo, the former champion at Boston, London and New York, is on the comeback trail and has a point to prove at Mumbai. With a brilliant time of 2:20:43 clocked in 2002 hanging on her name, she stands taller than the other contenders. Only the Sunday morning run will be able to tell us what form she has at the moment.
With Mumbai’s triple-victor Mulu Seboka preferring to stay at home, Okayo will be looking for competition from Ethiopians Shitaye Gemechu (2:26:10) and Leila Aman (2:27:54), a popular name with fans here.
Also in the fray are Kenya’s Venice Marathon double victor Linah Cheruyiot (2:26:00), Russian Irina Permitina (2:26:51) and Zhang Xin of China, a sub-2:27 runner.
Multiple World and Olympic champion Gail Davers will be the brand ambassador for the Mumbai Marathon this year. She joins a galaxy of star athletes who have blessed the event in the past, such as Michael Johnson, Mike Powell, Linford Christie, Steve Ovett, Kelly Holmes, Anju Bobby George and Paul Tergat to name a few.
Ram. Murali Krishnan for the IAAF
