City out in full force to keep up the run rate

MUMBAI: On a chilly Sunday morning, at the expansive crossroads converging at the colonial architecture of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, all barriers of class, caste and colour came down, in an instant. Around 33,000 enthusiasts burst into running at the Mumbai Marathon 2008, celebrities and commonfolk, keeping shoulder-to-shoulder.

Unlike the previous editions, which started with the Full Marathon (42 km), this year, the Half Marathon (21 km) was the first to be flagged off at 6:40 am sharp. This was followed by the Senior Citizens’ and the Wheelchair events. Finally, the short-haul Dream Runners and the corporate teams ran the seven kilometre stretch. The enthusiasm was palpable by the loud cheering, corporate games and general ‘friendly chaos.’

Mimics had a field day, as usual, and Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds seemed to be this year’s flavour. Many were spotted sporting Symonds-like effects. There were others mimicking BJP leader Narendra Modi, on a day when the politician was visiting the city. Caricatured idols varied from Mahatma Gandhi to Spider-Man to Charlie Chaplin. Also spotted was a Laizim team, showcasing one of the state’s cultural heritages.

Celebrities, corporate executives, students, housewives and social workers alike hit the streets to test their stamina and fitness, driving home the message that running is not stressful for the heart. “We have been part of the race for the past two years and this year too, we are running for the mentally challenged children of the Sankalp Special School,” said a school volunteer. A few socialites, too, managed to spare time for the marathon, to run for The Banyan Foundation, an NGO which works for the mentally challenged.

This year too, the rich and the pretty attracted many eyeballs. Hindustan Unilever CEO and MD Doug Baillie, ICICI Foundation president Nachiket Mor, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla and wife Neerja, Cadbury India MD Anand Kripalu, Tata Consultancy COO N Chandrashekhar and Hiranandani Group MD Niranjan Hiranandani participated.

Some watched while others ran. While the likes of Tara Sharma and Raj Zutshi — the sardar from UTV’s recent sport flick Goal — managed to finish the Dream Run with ease, Bollywood stars like Shabana Azmi and Arshad Warsi preferred the shade of podium to watch the city’s runners pass by.

After raising a fortune at the Reliance Power IPO, the athletic Anil Ambani, a regular at the Mumbai Marathon, apparently didn’t run for a charitable cause this time. But, “In all likelihood, Reliance ADAG head honcho was running for his wife Tina’s NGO Harmony,” said one of the charity sponsors.

And there was model and actor Milind Soman, who ran and ran till his white jersey became transparent! John Abraham looked fresh giving bytes to the camera, never mind he did little more than a ceremonial jog. Next time, maybe, he will run. Queenie Dhody, a Page 3 regular, managed to finish the Dream Run, but not before posing for the shutterbugs just before the finish line. “Old habits die hard,” commented a reveller at the finish line, pointing to the much recognised celebrity.

City police commissioner DN Jadhav had a more practical purpose in his five-minute run to cover a small part of the route. He was trying to encourage the 500 or so police personnel shepherding the event.