In the end, four new course records were set in the men’s half-marathon category alone, thereby giving the perfect start to this year’s Mumbai Marathon on Sunday.
It could be the familiar route, cool weather conditions, strenuous training or a bit of luck. It could even be the combination of all these factors.
In the end, four new course records were set in the men’s half-marathon category alone, thereby giving the perfect start to this year’s Mumbai Marathon on Sunday.
The top four runners overtook the previous best record of 1:05.44 set by Surender Singh in 2008. BC Tilak of Army Sports Institute emerged winner clocking 1:04.45, 59 seconds faster than the previous best.
Railways’ Soji Mathew came second (1:05.04) followed by Kheta Ram (1:05.32). Not only did these runners set the tone of the event but they also clocked their personal best timings.
The competition was neck-to-neck till the 18km mark, but Tilak took off from there and managed to keep his lead till the finish line. Participating for the second time in Mumbai, Tilak was overwhelmed having bagged his first title.
He said that the cooler weather played a major role in his win. “After crossing the 15km barrier, the weather remained chill and I thought that a timing of less than 65 minutes was possible.”
He added that he could have done better if he had been informed about his progress earlier. “The vehicle in front of us, which carried the timer, didn’t show anything. If it had, then I could have worked my way through and done much better,” said Tilak.
Essentially a long distance (10,000m) runner, the armyman took to half marathon after he was spotted by a coach at an athletics trial in Hyderabad in 2007.
He came third in the 2009 edition of this event and had to skip it last year due to an injury. The 28-year-old said that he would have enrolled for the full marathon but the humidity prevailing in Mumbai had stopped him.
“The preparations for full marathon are on and I am planning to run the distance in Delhi. However, my main target is to qualify for the 2010 London Olympics and I am confident of succeeding as I have the speed and the stamina,” he said.
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