Let’s put our best foot forward for Mumbai marathon

Representational image. Pic/iStock

The Tata Mumbai Marathon is days away - on Sunday (January 15) to be exact. Information has already started pouring in for Mumbai's marquee long-distance event. There is great excitement about the showpiece run, given that it is happening after two years. Several pace-setters from South Africa are expected for the full marathon.

Infrastructure and road work is going to pose a huge challenge for runners, looking at all the work for both the Metro and the Coastal Road in the city. Hence, it becomes even more important for us to showcase Mumbai through our behaviour as spectators and fans that day.

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Cheer as loud as you did during the first ever marathon held in Mumbai. This is the eighteenth edition of the event and the excitement seems to have worn out. Yet applause and cheers are the fuel that runners seem to feed off. Do show that in disciplined ways and propel the amateurs to their personal bests or simply to finish the course.

Most importantly, show respect to the runners. Do not try to dash across the road, do not give the police lining the route too much to do, the bare minimum means an orderly showing up and sticking to all rules of the marathon.

This race, all across the world, is a great show window for your city, your country, the athletes and the facilities. The debris because of the infra work, the barricading of roads, the sudden twists and turns already means that aesthetics have been affected considerably. We, then, need to put our best face forward and realise that the international community, especially running followers, are watching this race keenly. Take pride in the city and make the best of a very challenging situation for officials and organisers. Elite athletes are here and the eyeballs are on us.