For 67-year-old Otto Goetsch from Switzerland, Sunday's was a special run. "I complete 130 marathons today and achieving this feat in a city like Mumbai makes it even better. People here never let you down," said Goetsch, who is also preparing for the Marathon de Paris in April.
The city donned a festive look with people from all walks of life pouring out on the streets and queueing up along the routes, cheering the runners on. While many of the participants, like Goetsch, were passionate runners, crossing one milestone after another, some decided to put on their running shoes to spread the message of a cause and others joined the race just for the fun of it.
For full marathon, participants ran 42.195 km, starting from CST and back, via Bandra fire station. The half marathon, which was 21.097 km, spanned from CST to the Bandra fire station. Routes for both categories crossed the Bandra Worli Sea Link. The Dream Run, which was 6-kmlong, was from CST to Metro Cinema.
Most of those who signed up for the Dream Run had a cause close to their heart, women's safety, educating children and need for healthy lifestyle being a few of them. With the 2014 elections just a few months away, politics seemed to be on the top of the mind of many participants who urged citizens to cast their votes for their chosen leaders. AAP, predictably, was the "star party" with its followers sporting the aam-aadmi topi as well as its symbol, brooms. One of the posters read: "AAP jaisa koi Mumbai mein aaye, toh baat ban jaaye."
Even celebrities, actors and industrialists took a break from their professional schedules and hit the road, some to support the runners and other to take part. Actor Neha Dhupia, who ran the half marathon, finished the feat in three hours. "There's no way one will give up midway in the Mumbai Marathon as there are so many people cheering for you throughout the route. These are the real celebrities who encourage each and every runner to make it to the finish line," she said. For the second year in a row, actor Rahul Bose also took part in the half marathon, clocking a little over two hours.
For some, it was a day of reaching personal goals. Fourth-time full marathon runner 29-year-old Nimish Sawant clocked his personal best of around four hours on Sunday. "In the beginning, the weather was perfect," said Sawant after reaching the finish line. But, he said, as the day progressed, it started to get warmer. He complained that mist zones, which are little tents where water is sprinkled on exhausted runners, were missing, making it difficult for many. Another participant pointed out that the entry and exit arrangements were confusing. "Several of us were made to go around in circles while entering and exiting Azad Maidan. The problem was that several volunteers were unaware of the planning and could offer very little help," a runner said.
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