Running the Mumbai Marathon

Well, at least I can say I that I ran it. The most accurate description of the marathon, is that I put the appropriate amount of time and effort into it. The race was a bit more organized but less well-planned than I had anticipated. On one hand, the course was well marked out, and they had advertisements the entire way. Sadly, there were a lot of indications that Mumbai doesn’t really understand the physical requirements of a marathon that well. Getting to the race venue, there was a lot of confusion about where to go. There was a lot more commotion than I anticipated. (Roped off areas, lots of speakers and music, people throwing out free things to mobs of thrashing Indians). We had to walk about a mile to get to a large field, where people were milling about, and it wasn’t entirely clear where the runners go. There were 1/2 and full marathoners, and corporate and sponsored teams, and I think the directions were different for each group. I entered into a fenced off area, where you couldn’t see over the solid fence. I felt like a horse at the track, because all of a sudden, one of the walls slid to the side, and everyone piled out. There really weren’t that many runners in the full marathon; I’m guessing less than 2000. I was fairly close to the front, but didn’t hear any gun go off. We passed an archway and a clock at 1:53, so I figured the race had started. The race course was quite nice. A lot of it was along the sea, and it was fairly cool in the morning. Water (small bottles) were readily available during the first 20 miles, though it was spread out rather haphazardly, so I didn’t know when it was coming. I was carrying my phone (I didn’t find the race bags, so I didn’t have anywhere to put it until after the race) and was pleasantly surprised with phone calls from my friends back home in the States, much to the amusement of the spectators. Technology truly is amazing. I can talk to friends 12,000 miles away while running a marathon. I ran pretty easy, and was having no trouble at all until about mile 20. Besides water, there was a ‘energy drink’ that was available. Not only was it available, it was also clear, and in the same bottles as the water, so it was like playing Russian roulette when you went for a drink. It was the nastiest energy drink I’ve ever tasted. It tasted like a really bad version of tang + salt + sugar, all partially diluted so that at the end you get a nice shot of the powder straight in your mouth. I gagged and spat the first time I got it. By mile 20, things had spread out considerably. Water was sparsely available, and with the lack of carbs on the course (no gels, or bananas, etc) the few people around me were dropping like flies. I started to feel dizzy and light headed, and knew I was going to tank if I didn’t get some fuel. I stopped at a roadside stand, dug out 10 rupees and bought some salty chips (carbs + salt). About 10 minutes of stumbling in the hot sun, I recovered, and was able to keep running fairly normally. Surprisingly, it was really the lack of fuel that stopped me from running better. I was on target for about a 3:13, which is not bad considering my prep and that I was not racing hard. However, the tanking cost be about 20 min total, and I came in at 3:33. Oh yeah, and since they timed the 6K and 1/2 marathon to finish before the marathon, by the time we got to the last few miles, nobody really cared. The crowds were using the streets as usual, and I had to fight my way through to find the finish line. When I got there, a group of volunteers were standing and chatting, and looked at me as if to ask why I was there. I asked where the food was, and the first guy brushed me off, and the second gave me a vague reference to something behind him. I went to another roadside stand, and got more chips. All in all, it was quite the experience. Nothing like hearing people cheer you on in a language you don’t understand. Occasionally I would hear (insert heavy Indian accent) “Go Uncle, Go!” from little kids, or “Go India!” as people assumed I was a local. Special thanks to Ashwin, Gerard, and Liesl for coming out to cheer me on, and to Alfie and family for opening their home to me afterwards.