The Mumbai Marathon (known as the Tata Mumbai Marathon for
sponsorship
Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...
reasons by
Tata Group
The Tata Group () is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai. Established in 1868, it is India's largest conglomerate, with products and services in over 150 countries, and operations in 100 countries across six continent ...
), is an annual international
marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
held in
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, on the third Sunday of January every year. It is the largest marathon in Asia as well as the largest mass participation sporting event on the continent. It is the richest race in India with a prize pool of US$405000.
The Mumbai Marathon has six different race categories: Marathon (42.195 km), Half Marathon (21.097 km), Dream Run (6 km), Senior Citizens' Run (4.3 km), Champions with Disability (2.4 km), and a Timed 10K.
The course records set in 2013 were the fastest times ever run for a marathon in India in the women's marathon category – 2:24:33 by the women's winner
Valentine Kipketer
Valentine Jepkorir Kipketer (born 5 January 1993) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the half marathon and marathon distances. She has won marathons in Mumbai and Amsterdam and represented her country at the 2013 World Championshi ...
, Kenya. In 2020,
Derara Hurisa broke the men's marathon record, completing the race in 2:08:15.
The event helped bridge the gap between Indian elite athletes and the international elite. Indian runner
Ram Singh Yadav qualified for the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
with his best marathon time of 2:16:59 at the 2012 edition.
It was not held for two years in 2021 and 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its next edition will be held on 15 January, 2023
History
Inspired by the
London Marathon
The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held ...
, Procam International believed that Mumbai would support such a
road race. The first event was held in 2004, titled as the Standard Chartered Mumbai International Marathon.
Standard Chartered Bank
Standard Chartered plc is a multinational bank with operations in consumer, corporate and institutional banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retail banking in the UK, and around ...
continued as the event's title sponsor for 14 years up until 2017. In 2018, the
Tata Group
The Tata Group () is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai. Established in 1868, it is India's largest conglomerate, with products and services in over 150 countries, and operations in 100 countries across six continent ...
and
Tata Consultancy Services
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is an Indian multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting company with its headquarters in Mumbai. It is a part of the Tata Group and operates in 150 locations across 46 countries. In July ...
replaced Standard Chartered as the Marathon sponsor for a period of 10 years.
In 2005, Mumbai Marathon was included as one of the legs of "The Greatest Race on Earth", sponsored by Standard Chartered. The other three legs of this four-marathon race were the
Singapore Marathon
The Singapore Marathon is an annual international marathon race which is held on the first Sunday of December in the city of Singapore. It is a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race.
History
The first competitive marathon in Singapore was held o ...
, the
Nairobi Marathon
The Nairobi Marathon is an annual road running competition over the marathon distance usually held in October in Nairobi, Kenya. First held in 2003, the competition expanded and now includes a half marathon race along with the main race.
It was p ...
and the
Hong Kong Marathon
The Hong Kong Marathon (香港馬拉松), sponsored by Standard Chartered, Standard Chartered Bank, is an annual marathon race held in January or February in Hong Kong. In addition to the full marathon, a 10 km run and a half marathon ar ...
, which were all sponsored by the Bank as well.
The race became an
IAAF Silver Label Road Race
World Athletics Label Road Races are races that the World Athletics (until 2019: ''IAAF'') designates as one of the "leading road races around the world." The classification was first introduced for the 2008 running season, upon the suggestion of ...
in 2009. The IAAF elevated the race to an
IAAF Gold Label Road Race
World Athletics Label Road Races are races that the World Athletics (until 2019: ''IAAF'') designates as one of the "leading road races around the world." The classification was first introduced for the 2008 running season, upon the suggestion of ...
in 2010, which was taken away in 2013 remaining unlabelled until 2018 when the Silver Label was awarded. The 2019 edition was classified as a Gold Label again.
Inspiration Medal
The inspiration medal is an award that started in 2018, when Tata Group took control of the event. The initiative was to increase participation and encourage marathoners to complete the marathon run (42 K.m.).The medal has two sides, and it reads the finisher on one side and the inspiration on the other. Hence, it helps to share the joy of winning with their inspiration.
Organization
Mumbai Marathon is the property of Procam International Pvt. Ltd., a Mumbai-based sports management company. Procam International also owns other road races in India such as the
Airtel Delhi Half Marathon,
Tata Consultancy Services World 10K Bangalore, and Tata Steel Kolkata 25K.
The Race
![2008 Mumbai Marathon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/2008_Mumbai_Marathon.jpg)
The six categories cater to different participants. They are the Marathon (42.195 km), Half Marathon (21.097 km), Dream Run (6 km), Senior Citizens Event (4.3 km), and Champions with Disability Event (2.4 km). The Timed 10K has been introduced from the 2018 edition of the Mumbai Marathon.
The marathon starts opposite
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Bombay station code: CSMT ( mainline)/ST (suburban)), is a historic railway terminus and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
The terminus was d ...
Mumbai. It passes many of the city's iconic locations such as Flora Fountain,
Marine Drive Marine Drive may refer to:
Roads Bangladesh
* Cox Bazar-Tekhnaf Marine Drive, world's longest marine drive road.
Canada
*Marine Drive (Nova Scotia), a scenic route in Nova Scotia
* Marine Drive (Greater Vancouver), a number of roadways in Metro ...
, Chowpatty,
Haji Ali
The Haji Ali Dargah is a mosque and dargah or the monument of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari located on an islet off the coast of Worli in the southern Mumbai.
An exquisite example of Indo-Islamic Architecture, associated with legends about doome ...
, Mahim Church, and the
Bandra–Worli Sea Link
The Bandra-Worli Sea Link (officially known as Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link) is a 5.6 km long, 8-lane wide bridge that links Bandra in the Western Suburbs of Mumbai with Worli in South Mumbai. It is the longest sea bridge, as well as the 4th longe ...
. The London marathon winner and the secretary of the
Association of International Marathons and Distance Races
The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, also known as AIMS, is an association of the organisers of long-distance road running races. It was founded in 1982 at a meeting in London of marathon race directors. Its membership w ...
, Hugh Jones, is the race director.
Winners
Key:
Multiple wins
By country
Charity
The Mumbai Marathon is India's largest charity platform for
non-profit organisation
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
s to raise funds.
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
s represent causes such as arts, culture and sports, civic and community development, disability, education, environment and wildlife, health, human rights, social services, vocational training, and women, children and the aged. Organizations register with the Event's official Philanthropy Partner,
United Way Mumbai. Some NGOs used this event as a platform to raise awareness for their work, and some to directly raise funds. Fundraising is facilitated by an easy-to-use model designed for all groups to raise funds.
Over ₹1.9 billion (US$29 million) has been raised from year 2004 to year 2017.
The first race in 2004 had 22,000 participants and raised ₹14.4 million (US$269,000). Both the number of participants and amount of money raised rose drastically over the years with 30,000 people running in 2007 (₹79.4 million, US$1,490,000). The 2017 edition hosted 42,000 runners (₹329 million, US$ 5,087,761).
Dream Team
This special category is meant for highly motivated individuals who feel passionately about a cause and commit to raise a substantial sum of funds. Over the years, the Dream Team has seen a mix of business magnates, celebrities, socialites, NGO trustees and students. Levels include:
* Dream Champion – minimum pledge of INR 1 million.
* Dream Wizard – minimum pledge of INR 500,000
* Dream Maker – minimum pledge of INR 100,000
Corporate Challenge
The Corporate Challenge is a category for companies who wish to sponsor employee teams to participate in event and raise funds. 166 companies fielded 257 Corporate Challenge teams at Mumbai Marathon 2013.
Philanthropy Partner
United Way Mumbai is Mumbai Marathon's Philanthropy Partner. UWM assumes the role of a "Philanthropy Exchange" for charities and non-profit organizations that register with the Event. The Philanthropy Partner's roles are to:
* Facilitate & supplement pledge raising efforts of individuals, companies and NGOs.
* Create, build and communicate the Charity Structure.
* Work on all aspects of Charity like registrations, race day logistics, communications and receiving donations.
* Accounting & reconciling of Pledges.
* Disbursement of funds to beneficiary NGOs.
* 80G receipts to all donors.
UWM maintains neutrality and ensures a level playing field among all participating NGOs. UWM also serves as an assurance to the donor that the NGO and the cause for which money is being donated are credible.
Flame of Marathon
Mumbai Marathon was the youngest marathon to be awarded the "Flame of the Marathon". It was flown in from Greece by Maria Polyzou, Greek Marathon Champion and Director of the Museum of Marathon Runs. They were received by then Mayor of Mumbai Smt.
Shraddha Jadhav
Shraddha Jadhav (born c.1964) is a Shiv Sena politician from Mumbai, Maharashtra.
She served as the mayor from 1 December 2009 to 8 March 2012 of the city of Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra, and chief of Brihanmumbai Mu ...
at
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is an international airport serving Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). It is the second busiest airport in the country in terms of total and international passenger traffic aft ...
. The flame was carried by sports luminaries, celebrities, sponsors/partners and dignitaries from the government in a flame relay to the
Hutatma Chowk
Hutatma Chowk ("Martyrs' Square, (Officially, Hutatma Smarak Chowk) ("Martyrs Memorial Square"), is a square in South Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The square hosts Flora Fountain and was known by that name until 1961 when it was officially ren ...
in Fountain, Mumbai. The participants of the torch relay were celebrities including
Priya Dutt
Priya Dutt Roncon (born 28 August 1966) is an Indian people, Indian politician and social worker. She was elected for the first time to the 14th Lok Sabha from Mumbai North West (Lok Sabha constituency), Mumbai North West constituency in Mahara ...
, Jaspal Bindra,
Rahul Bose
Rahul Bose (born 27 July 1967) is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter, and social activist. Bose has appeared in Bengali films such as ''Mr. and Mrs. Iyer'', '' Kalpurush'', ''Anuranan'', ''Antaheen'', ''Laptop'' and ''The Japanese Wife''. ...
,
John Abraham
John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor, film producer, writer and former model working in Hindi films. He has won a National Film Award and received five Filmfare nominations.
After modelling for advertisements and companies ...
, Shobha De,
Milind Soman
Milind Soman (born 4 November 1965) is an Indian actor, supermodel, film producer, and fitness enthusiast. He was a contestant on '' Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 3''.
Early and personal life
Soman was born on 4 November 1965 in Glasgow, ...
,
Dhanraj Pillay
Dhanraj Pillay (born 16 July 1968) is a retired Indian field hockey player and former captain of the Indian national team. He also looks after the Air India Sports Promotion Board as a Joint Secretary based in Mumbai. For the last 5 years, Dha ...
and
Kiran More
Kiran Shankar More (born 4 September 1962) is an Indian former cricketer and wicket-keeper for the Indian cricket team from 1984 to 1993. He also took up the position Chairman of the Selection Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in I ...
.
Trophy
To commemorate Mumbai Marathon's 10th edition, a rolling trophy was instituted, to be handed over to the men's and women's marathon champions.
The trophy was unveiled by Shri
K. Sankaranarayanan
Kateekal Sankaranarayanan (15 October 1932 – 24 April 2022) was the governor of the Indian state of Maharashtra. He had also served as the Governor of Nagaland and Jharkhand. Prior to his appointment as governor, he had served as a minister i ...
, (then) Governor of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
.
The trophy was designed by artist and sculptor Shri
Paresh Maity
Paresh Maity (born 1965) is an Indian painter. He is a prolific painter in a short career span.
In 2014, Government of India conferred upon him its fourth-highest civilian award the Padma Shri.
Early life
Paresh Maity was born in Tamluk, Purb ...
.
Event Ambassadors
The international ambassadors for the Mumbai Marathon have been:
* 2004—
Michael Duane Johnson
* 2005—
Paul Tergat
Paul Kibii Tergat (born 17 June 1969) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. He became the first Kenyan man to set the world record in the marathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished l ...
,
Steve Ovett
Stephen Michael James Ovett, (; born 9 October 1955) is a retired British track athlete. A middle-distance runner, he was the gold medalist in the 800 metres at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, and set 5 world records for 1500 metres and the ...
* 2006—
Anju Bobby George
Anju Bobby George (born 19 April 1977) is a retired Indian athlete. Anju Bobby George made history when she won the bronze medal in long jump at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris. With this achievement, she became the first In ...
,
Linford Christie
Linford Cicero Christie (born 2 April 1960) is a Jamaican-born British former sprinter. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World ...
* 2007—
Dame Kelly Holmes,
Aravinda De Silva
Deshabandu Pinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva ( si, අරවින්ද ද සිල්වා; born 17 October 1965) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and captain, who has also played in English county cricket. de Silva helped Sri Lanka to win the ...
* 2008—
Gabriela Szabo
Gabriela Szabo (, hu, Szabó Gabriella; born 14 November 1975) is a retired Romanian runner. She competed in the 1500 m and 5000 m events at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics and won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal.
Szabo is a three-time world c ...
* 2009—
Gail Devers
Yolanda Gail Devers ( ; born November 19, 1966) is an American retired track and field sprinter who competed in the 60 metres, 60 m hurdles, 100 m and 100 m hurdles. One of the greatest and most decorated female sprinters of all time, she was t ...
* 2010—
Daniel O'Brien
* 2011—
Catherine Freeman
Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman (born 16 February 1973) is an Aboriginal Australian former sprinter, who specialised in the 400 metres event. Her personal best of 48.63 seconds currently ranks her as the ninth-fastest woman of all time, se ...
* 2012—
Vijay Amritraj
Vijay Amritraj (born 14 December 1953) is an Indian sports commentator, actor and retired professional tennis player from Madras. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's 4th highest civilian honour, in 1983.In 2022, he was honored for his cont ...
* 2013—
Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie ( am, ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, ''haylē gebre silassē''; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Champions ...
* 2014—
Damon Hill
Damon Graham Devereux Hill, (born 17 September 1960) is a British former professional racing driver from England and the 1996 Formula One World Champion. He is the son of Graham Hill, and, along with Nico Rosberg, one of two sons of a Formu ...
* 2015—
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli (; born 2 October 1984) is a French former professional tennis player. Bartoli won the 2013 Wimbledon Championships singles title after previously being runner-up in 2007, and was a semifinalist at the 2011 French Open. She als ...
* 2016—
Edwin Moses
Edwin Corley Moses (born August 31, 1955) is an American former track and field athlete who won gold medals in the 400 m hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. Between 1977 and 1987, Moses won 107 consecutive finals (122 consecutive races) an ...
* 2017—
David Rudisha
David Lekuta Rudisha, MBS (born 17 December 1988) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. He is a two-time back-to-back Olympic champion from the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics, a two-time World champion from t ...
* 2018—
Sergey Bubka
Sergey Nazarovych Bubka ( uk, Сергій Назарович Бубка; born 4 December 1963) is a Ukrainian former pole vaulter. He represented the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. Bubka was twice named Athlete of the Year by ''Tr ...
* 2019—
Mary Kom
Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom (born 01 March 1983) is an Indian amateur boxer, politician, and former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. She is the only woman to win the World Amateur Boxing Championship six times, the only female boxer to ha ...
* 2020—
Shannon Miller
Shannon Lee Miller (born March 10, 1977) is an American former artistic gymnast. She was the 1993 and 1994 world all-around champion, the 1996 Olympic balance beam champion, the 1995 Pan American Games all-around champion, and a member of the ...
* 2023—
Tiger Shroff
Jai Hemant "Tiger" Shroff (born 2 March 1990) is an Indian actor and martial artist known for his work in the Indian cinema. He is best known for his Baaghi action franchise, ''Heropanti'' (2014) and ''War'' (''2019''). He has featured in Forb ...
Sponsors/partners
* Title sponsor:
Tata
* Channel partner:
Star Sports Star Sports refers to several current or former Asian sports networks owned by The Walt Disney Company:
* Star Sports (East Asian TV channel)
* Star Sports (Indian TV network)
* Fox Sports (Southeast Asian TV network)
Fox Sports (formerly ESPN ...
* Sports Goods partner:
Asics
* Driven by: Altroz
* Timing partner:
Seiko
, commonly known as Seiko ( , ), is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced one of the first quartz watches and the ...
* Recovery partner:
Volini
* Hydration partner:
Bisleri
Bisleri International (formerly Parle Exports and Parle Bisleri) is an Indian company which is best known for the eponymous brand of bottled water. The company was started in the 1970s by Ramesh Chauhan, and sells bottled water and soft drinks.
...
* Hospitality partner:
Trident
A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm.
The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...
* Print partner:
The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
* Radio partner:
Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi (also known as 98.3 Mirchi) is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the ENIL, EntertainmentNetwork India Ltd (ENIL), which is one of the subsidiaries of The Times Group. ''Mirchi'' is Hindi f ...
* Medical Partner:
Asian Heart Institute
* Philanthropy partner
United Way Mumbai* Institution partner: HelpAge India
* Supported by:
Government of Maharashtra, M.C.G.M, Indian Navy
* Under the aegis of:
Athletics Federation of India
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is the national governing body for Athletics sport in India, and is responsible for conducting competitions in the country. It was formed in 1943. It is affiliated to World Athletics and Asian Athletics A ...
* Certified by:
AIMS
References
External links
Running Races in India2009 Mumbai Marathon in PhotosMumbai Marathon Anthem Release
{{IAAF Road Race Label Events
Marathons in India
Recurring sporting events established in 2004
Sports competitions in Mumbai
Standard Chartered
Annual sporting events in India
2004 establishments in Maharashtra