Mumbai Full Marathon 2008

I managed to arrive in Mumbai on 19th Jan Morning by train from Hyderabad.My tickets were booked only just one day in advance and thus it was not confirmed but i managed to get into the Sleeper coach and occupy a berth and later on to bribe the TTR to get a berth which was to be vacated soon,I received call from Tejas, and finally i suggested him to go for his tuitions and he provided me his brother's number, i arrived in Mumbai Vicotria Terminals by around 7:30 am then loittered around to click a few snaps of mumbai vt and also the pigeon pen near it.It was nice to watch people ripping open packets of grains and grams to feed the Pigeons which were in large numbers and often made peculiar distinct sounds as they flew in and out of the enclosure.

Then i called Tejus's brother Thapas and got to know about the bus number 81 which was to be boarded from the Times of India Building side of Victoria Terminals and managed to reach the Kemps corner Junction and then proceeded ahead but had to call thapas again reached his home to be greeted by Thapas and his Mom.

I had begun to experience the Monkey effect , i began to feel the pain on my legs, i had my second round of breakfast and then i set out to buy the pain killers, something strange about mumbia or Kemps corner , they do not sell tablets loose they are only sold in sheets.I had the Tablet and then i went to WTC at Caffe Parle to visit the Mumbai Marathon Expo, there was a few stalls but i did not get any insider information on the event and intention to have a navigation of the course did not happen as they could not suggest me the Bus no's.

Fear, Uncertainity and lack of Confidence in completing the race had filled me.I went back had my Dinner with Tejas and his family and then had my second dose of the painkiller and slept to wake early around 5:30 and then had a bath followed by prayers and then left for Azad Maidan all paths towards it was blocked and we returned to previous locations to finally get down and walk towards it.

Mumbai Full Marathon 2008
Azad Maidan was crowded but not what i expected as the Half Marathon was Flagged off Around 6:45 and i was there around 7:05 and then i managed to keep my bag and change into my Running attire.There were people around and the Kingfisher team was into their review of the Costume comptetion.

I pulled into the Holding area there were many out there but i did not get to see any elite runners or the African Athletes except for one or two female runners who were probably lost from the Elite runners group.There were a number of men who wore the Bangalore ultra Marathon T-shirt and i heard one of them murmuring he is the guy who ran the 100kms in Bangalore from morning to evening.After sometime all of us crowded towards the gate of the Holding area and prepared to push out. but we were lead in a pack covered by security and held for sometime when those elite runners ran past us and continued when a few among our lot manged to slip out and run behind the elite runners. Those moments when we were held by the security, time passed away very slowly i could feel millli seconds in a seconds as you feel seconds in a minute.All of us were eager to Dash and after sometime the security men moved away and we started to run i started to pace and i was not overtaken by many as i expected in a Marathon like that of Mumbai and continued to run crossed the Junction close to mumbai VT and then further on running past the 1km mark when i said to myself 41.2 more to go and continued to run tried to maintain my footspan and the speed regulated to what i sensed as optimal and continued. I was adviced to drink a lot of water thus i started to take the water bottles and initially i only gargled my mouth with it and spat the water out and continued this on multiple occasions and i continued to run i was telling myself to keep that pace steady and then completing the race would not be a problem and thus continued and after sometime there were people who overtook me but none of them had a crushing effect like how jack tihara had on me during hyderabad10k and many of them i did overtake again during this run along the marine drive the course was flat and there was no tiring effect other than the monkey trying his part and suggesting me to stop running.The people or the crowd was very cheerful and often they encouraged us and many smiled and waived at us as though we knew each other and i made an effort to wave back when ever i could.

I am unable to give the description of the place or the km marking there was a turn and then on the left there were a lot of people walking the were the left outs of the half marathon but they walked on the left side and the right side was clear and thus we did not have difficulty in running and thus continued and tried to maintain the pace and now it was a little encouraging as many have already faded out and i was still in form thus continued and then entered the pedder road inclination where there was runners in slow pace but there was enough space for anyone to run past them but the inlination began to take its effect and the calf muscles started to warm up , but not in pain as of now and i watched the km marking and continued. I ran past the 16km marking and then the 18km probably but after some time i saw the 26km marking which was a disastrous one done by the authorities as after that i did see the 22km marking atleast thrice on different location i was vexed with this and it began to take its toll my concentration on my footspan and pace slipped away and my speed and footspan reduced but sometime before or after i did see the pack of the lead runners they were advancing with huge steps there were around 3 of them and they were sourounded by two bikes and a sumo and after sometime the indian lead runner was following the trail with a bike as his escort and i did see a some more of those but i did not pay attention to them and continued
and finally reached the bandra reclmation point to see the dreaded 22km again.

How many times can you have 22km marking , this might be a very casual issue for the authorities but for me it had a devastating effect. i do not recollect the location or the distance covered when i asked some one about the time he replied quarter to nine thus in 1 hour.... i am unable to recollect what exactly could have been the distance covered is it around 16km or above 20km or ...... but for certain the race was still in grip and it continued after some time the steps turned even slower and thus continued to run but now i was looking out for the km marking which was not turning up as my speed had gone down it took a lot of anticipation to see myself cross the 28,29 and so on and by now i was running rather slow when the monkey was giving me the idea to walk and sprint but i refused and continued to be in motion but enroute i was drinking water and thus when i saw the toilets at the 31km mark i decided to use it thus stopped.

But after that i could not gather myself to run again and i tried to walk faster and with longer strokes but people ran past me and i was experiencing pain on my legs and i feared whether i would fail to complete the race but i was determined to walk and finish as i have walked multiple times 53km lengths and thus i continued and around 35km when i was descengin the pedder road flyover i managed to gain the inertia to run and tried to maintain it for sometime and then on i managed to run and walk and i was able to run faster that i was around 31km mark but there was pain on my legs and thus i had to stop and walk and then again run and that cycle went on.Then while going i remember asking a girl who was walking alongside for water when she gave the bottle of it and asked to take it along. That was an experience of Kindness i continued to run and walk and thus started to overtake some of those who ran past me after i started to walk and thus i continued to advance but as it was nearing noon temperature was rising and now i was fighting tiredness, pain on my legs and the heat. i did not have track of time and at juctions traffic had resumed but often stopped as the athletes came across but by now there were people around cheering us and telling us that we are close to finish and only 4km more and so on thus continued to run and walk towards the finish this went on finally to see the 41km mark and later the last 200 mts mark but i could not spirnt the last two hundred mts but finally managed to speed up a little as i saw the finish line and clock ticking 4:40:36 and on after i finished i asked people where i should go, they pointed to a direction but i could not make out and i asked for someone to accompany me after waiting for sometime it maybe less than a minute but it was quite annoying to find that people who crowded around the finish line was not there to accompany us to the officials.

I was accompanied by someone from the crowd and he finally led me to the retiring area where we were provided with biscuits , banana and apple.

Thus i completed my 1st Full Marathon.
It was not a success as per my targets but as this was my 1st full marthon and as i had been with pain on my legs for quite sometime and as warun nayar had written me that i am a winner. I am trying to rejoice at the success of the race and planning to prepare for the Vodafone Half marathon in October and Hyderbad10k in november and if i hope to run the Mumbai Full Marathon 2009.

I am indebted to Tejas and his family for the Hospitality during those two days,else i would have succumbed to some excuses and not run the Marathon.
I wish to thank the several people who cheered the runners.
Three cheers for the Mumbai Cheering Crowd.
Overall it was a well maintained event except a few minor events like when the water bottles were provided which were not opened, Electrol was supplied in abundance but not in every outlet.Distribution of Biscuits and banana during the final phase could be improved as unexperienced runners may collapse.

Monkey is a fictional character that i refer to in this blog. I did not run with a Monkey in a bag or on my shoulders but it is used to indicate that i resisted myself from excuse.