Mumbai, Jan 17 (IANS) Defending Indian elite men’s champion Srinu Bugatha and his Army mate Man Singh are hoping their high-altitude training in Ooty will give them an edge in the landmark 20th edition of the Mumbai Marathon to be held on Sunday.
“I am looking to break the course record. I have been training in Ooty. This is my fifth time at the Tata Mumbai Marathon, which is India’s best and biggest marathon. It is nice for us Indian runners to get to run alongside the Kenyans and Ethiopians. And for those of us who are familiar with the course, it helps to know the layout as it also helps in our training,” Bugatha said.
Asian marathon champion Man Singh also has his eyes on the top prize. “I am aiming to break the course record on Sunday. If the weather supports, then all of us Indian runners can aim for good timing this year. I have trained hard in Ooty, and I am looking for a personal best of 2.14,” he said.
The star-studded India elite line-up includes Olympian Gopi T., talented Kalidas Hirave and the 2023 Asian Games 10,000m silver medallist Kartik Kumar in the men’s section and Thakor Nirmaben and Shymali Singh, among others, in the women’s section. The top three finishers in the Indian elite men’s and women’s categories will receive prize money of INR 5 lakh, INR 4 lakh, and INR 3 lakh respectively from the total prize fund of USD 389,524.
An incentive reward of INR 2 lakh is up for grabs for setting a new TMM mark which is currently held by NS Rawat (men, 2:15:48) (2016) and Sudha Singh (women, 2:34:56) (2019). The experienced Gopi is a two-time winner and three-time runner-up among Indians at this World Athletics Gold Label race.
“I’ve come from training in Bengaluru. This is my sixth appearance at the Tata Mumbai Marathon. I am aiming to qualify for the World Championships this year. The TMM is our first major race of the year and we all have our eyes on the course record. I have been clocking a weekly mileage of 190-200km, so I am confident for Sunday,” said Gopi, who is also from the Army. Gopi won the 2024 New Delhi Marathon in 2:14.40, pipping second-placed Bugatha by one second.
Nirmaben is the defending Indian elite women’s champion. “My training has been good. I am aiming for a timing of 2.39 in the race on Sunday. I have just come back from Kolkata, where I had a disappointing 4th as a result of my own mistake. I am looking forward to better my own time here,” she said.
West Bengal’s Shymali, who was placed third among Indian elite women last year, is looking to draw inspiration from her meeting with legendary athlete Sir Mo Farah, who is the International Event Ambassador. “It was inspiring to meet Sir Mo Farah, from him I learned not to give up. He was so lighthearted and full of life, it was inspiring to meet him before the big race,” she said.
–IANS
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