Ten years ago, the sight of people running on the roads still attracted attention, especially early in the morning. Today no one bats an eyelid even if they see corporate honchos like billionaire Anil Ambani and Anand Mahindra, Bollywood stars like Milind Soman and Vidya Balan and babus from Mantralaya in shorts and running shoes on Marine drive.
For the Singh brothers, Vivek and Ashish, it was a dream to make Mumbai run ever since standing on the starting line of the London Marathon in 2003. Impressed by the charm of the event and its sheer spirit, they mulled over the possibility of getting the commercial capital of India to run. And in a city where people opt for transport or cabs or cars even for short distances, people called them fools.
Mumbai ran, but not on marathons. And there was no question of devoting early mornings for running. Some friends suggested that they organise a walkathon because most people were overweight! But the Singh brothers did not give up. And today, the Mumbai Marathon has got a ‘Gold Label’ and is counted in the top ten marathons in the world.
In a candid interview with Vishnudas Sheshrao of the Afternoon Despatch and Courier, Vivek Singh, M.D., Procam International, the company that organises the Mumbai Marathon, every year, shares his experiences.
We must congratulate you Mr. Singh for all your team efforts in making the Mumbai Marathon a ‘Gold Label’ event. What was the journey like in the last nine years?
It’s been incredible! Starting off was bit of a struggle but now it is in full swing. The idea came from the London Marathon where I saw everyone, advocates, bureaucrats, doctors, engineers, billionaires, ministers, grandfathers to grandchildren, running together. I wished the same thing could happen in Mumbai, top industrialists, Bollywood actresses and common people running together.
The first year of the Mumbai Marathon was the defining moment for marathoners in this country. How big a risk was it for your company in conducting an event of such a magnitude?
Honestly speaking, it was a great risk. We were called fools for not starting off with a walkathon, as it was felt that city people have no time and spirit to run. It was a big plan but hardly anyone was keen on sharing our vision plan. Then Standard Charter Bank believed in us. After that we had to talk to the traffic police, the BMC, railway and Mantralaya. Now we don’t see it as risk, it is just an annual task for us.
The concept of getting the ever-stressed Mumbaikars fit and running on the road made the city surprise itself. Did you ever imagine the kind of feedback you got especially, after the first run seven years ago?
No doubt, people in Mumbai are more stressed than in any other city in the country. Long working hours, then four hours of daily commuting, leaving so little time for family members.
Earlier, people used to be surprised to see Anil Ambani and Bollywood actresses running in the morning. Over the years, health consciousness has developed among people. They run not for one day, but all three months of the winter.
The Mumbai Marathon snags huge money through charity. How do you spend that money?
You don’t have the whole facts! It is true that the Mumbai Marathon raises huge money through charity. This would be highest charity-raising organisation in minimum time and with minimum effort. Last time, the Mumbai Marathon raised Rs.12.5crore and this year the target is Rs.15crore.
This fund is raised by 220 different NGO organisations. In the London Marathon, the organisers decide where to spend the money. But we decided just to be a catalyst in this money business. NGOs decide where to spend the money earned through charity, as per their priority and urgency.
There was a discussion in the BMC Standing Committee that apart from charity, Mumbai Marathon earns huge profit and they must share it with civic body as it provides them civic infrastructure.
We received a letter from the BMC. They asked for Rs.1.8crore against the cleaning of roads, filling of potholes, making footpaths, colouring zebra crossings and other tasks. We appealed to the civic body and convinced them that all these tasks are anyway the duty of the civic body to provide to citizens, so it should not charge for the same.
Your company has been conducting marathons in other cities, how do you rate the success of Mumbai as compared to other cities like Delhi and Bangalore?
All three Marathons – Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore – are successful. Mumbai Marathon is not just a marathon; it is a catalyst which started the marathon movement in the country. The Mumbai Marathon is the mother of all marathons in the country.
The Indian runners who will be vying for a spot in the Olympics have got the Mumbai run to qualify for a spot for London Olympics. Do you feel that with this, many professional athletes will savour this run, especially with the crowds at home behind them?
Yes. I do believe that. The Mumbai Marathon provides a platform for Indian distance runners to run with top runners in the world. Earlier, for the practise with international runners, Indian players had to go to London. Now, we give them the opportunity at home. Besides, to promote and boost their confidence we have handsome prizes for them. We hope to see long distance runners to look at the Mumbai Marathon as a run-up to the Olympics.
How important was the Gold Label status for the marathon?
The International Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF), the governing body, gave Mumbai Marathon the ‘Gold Label’, the highest available qualification in the world. Any record made in the Mumbai Marathon will be considered a world record. Gold Label is highest distinction given after qualifying in several criteria like prize money, route, television, press, athletes, and a number of international participants and so on. There are a total of 340 recognised marathons in the world and out of them only 15 are gold label and one of them is the Mumbai Marathon.
A picture in the Press Club 2011 calendar attracted the attention of people. It showed a group of international athletes are running in the Mumbai Marathon. Suddenly a stray dog comes into their path and gives everyone a good fright. Besides, there are news reports that the roads are not good enough this year.
I wonder how I missed that picture! The roads are good enough and we are in touch with civic officials.
How much impact and interest has the Bandra-Worli Sea Link brought among the runners, sponsors and TV viewers?
The Bandra Worli Sea Link has brought aesthetic values - colour and life to the Mumbai Marathon. Running on the world class bridge over the sea boosts the confidence and morale of the runners. Earlier, the runners had to use same route up and down, thus holding up traffic for a longer time. The Sea link makes the run more interesting and doesn’t inconvenience the aam aadmi so much.
What changes has the Marathon brought to the city?
A feeling of pride, mostly, a sporting attitude and health consciousness. These, I think, are the biggest benefits.
With inputs from Neil Joshi