On Sunday, 15th January 2017, Mumbai will host the 14th edition of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM), an event that sparked the running revolution in India. The streets of the city will be graced by some of the finest long distance athletes from across the world with strides firmly set to achieve their personal best.
Ethiopia’s Ayele Abshero, the fastest man on the start-line (2:04:23) along with Dinknesh Mekash, a two-time winner in Mumbai will lead the elite field at the SCMM 2017. Joining the best in the world will be top Indian athletes - Olympian Kheta Ram, MD Yunus and Elam Singh as well as Jyoti Gawate, Monica Raut and Monica Athare who will take centre-stage and vie for a prize money of USD 384,000.
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One of the most awaited sporting events in Asia, SCMM 2017 has seen an overwhelming response this year and will witness 42,379 at the start-line. Reaching an all-time high with 6,342 runners registering for the Full Marathon, SCMM 2017 will see runners push themselves to run a faster race. The Half Marathon and Dream Run saw 14,663 and 19,980 entries, respectively.
In other categories, the Sr. Citizen Run had 921 entries; Champions with Disability received 433 entries and Police Cup saw 40 teams registering.
Vivek B Singh, Joint Managing Director, Procam International said, “As Asia’s most prestigious Marathon, SCMM today symbolises the spirit of Mumbai and carries with it a message of hope and inspiration to achieve larger good.
“For the 14th edition of the event, we have a stellar lineup with a healthy mix of both Indian and international athletes to vie for the prestigious title. This year, we would also like to welcome on-board ORSL and Jet Airways as new partners and we hope that this edition of the race will be yet another memorable one.”
NEW THIS YEAR
A matter of pride and prestige for corporate India as well as the running community, SCMM 2017 is pleased to announce two new associations; ORSL as the Restoration Partner and India’s leading international Airline Jet Airways as the Airline Partner.
ORSL is a leading electrolyte-based restoration drink by Johnson & Johnson, that replenishes energy factors and vitamin C in a natural fruit juice base. ORSL Plus effectively restores the electrolyte balance and helps recover faster during any physical activity.
“At J&J we are committed to helping consumers lead healthy lives. ORSL’s partnership with Procam International as the exclusive Restoration Partner for Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, is an extension of that very philosophy. Running, and running for a cause, is becoming increasingly popular in India,” said Ganesh Bangalore, Vice President, Marketing, Johnson & Johnson, Consumer, India, when talking about the new partnership.
“We are happy to support enthusiastic runners in helping restore their energy levels as they take on this gruelling physical and mental challenge,” he added.
Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said, “We are proud to partner with Procam as the Official Airline for the forthcoming Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2017. The Marathon is a prominent event that has become a permanent fixture in India’s sporting calendar, having a truly global appeal amongst professional and amateur runners alike.
“Jet Airways is delighted to offer its strong domestic and international network, connecting 46 Indian and 20 global destinations to bring participants from all across India and the globe to the event in Mumbai for January 15th, 2017.”
ASICS RUNNING GEAR:
As an added motivation, Sports Goods Partner ASICS has introduced the exclusive Running Gear for all the Full Marathon participants.
THE MUMBAI PORTAL:
Today, SCMM is beyond a sporting event. The reason for its existence is that the SCMM symbolises the way the human spirit survives challenges of all kinds. The Mumbai Portal aims to showcase this spirit of SCMM and the real heroes of India to the world!
The Mumbai Portal is a real life portal between Mumbai and 20 other cities in the world and it is the first of its kind in India. It is essentially a shipping container painted gold and equipped with immersive audiovisual technology. When an individual enters one Portal, they see a person in another Portal live and full-body, as if in the same room.
While new technologies allow us to connect across boundaries as never before, we too often use them to insulate ourselves in our own communities. By conversing through a Portal, participants step out of their comfort zones, talk to someone completely unrelated to their individual lives and discover the multitude of amazing things happening all over the world. For SCMM there will be a mix of programmed interactions and open hours for all Mumbaikars to come and experience the portal.
There are some great inspiring stories planned
Major D.P. Singh, India’s first blade runner and marathoner will talk to a Syrian refugee hero based in Berlin. Harish Iyer, Equal rights activist will share his story of grit and determination with Maria Bashir, First woman prosecutor in Afghanistan.
Harsha Bhogle will connect with a cricket star from Afghanistan who has used his passion to bring about a revolution in the country among others.
FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE:
For the convenience of half marathon participants there will be a shuttle service from Currey Road station on the Central Railway and Lower Parel on the Western Railway lines. These buses, that are free for all half marathon participants wearing valid bibs, will operate from 3.30 am to 5.00 am on race day 15th January 2017.
MIRCHI GET ACTIVE EXPO:
A one-stop destination for runners, the Expo will be organised at MMRDA Ground, Bandra Kurla Complex, Next to Asian Heart Institute, diagonally opposite to Reliance Power, Bandra (East) from 6th to 8th January 2017. The Expo will be on between 11.00 am and 7.00 pm on all three days and will also be the venue for all confirmed participants from Mumbai and its suburbs to come and collect their running numbers.
Outstation runners can collect their running numbers on 14th January 2017 from Richardson & Cruddas, Sir JJ Road, Byculla, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400008 between 11.00 am and 5.00 pm.
The Expo gives participants an entire weekend, to study in detail race day instructions, familiarise themselves with security arrangements, traffic restrictions, road closures and other provisions that will come into force on Race Day.
The Get Active Expo will also see a host of activities like the finale of the Cigna TTK Treadmillion Challenge on January 7, running tips from the experts among others. There will also be interactive stalls of partners like Asics, Maruti, ORSL, SCB, TCS, Volini, Jet Airways and other leading lifestyle brands. In addition to this, Procam Running along with Selection Sports Club have recently launched a wide range of running gear and equipment that will be available at the Get Active Expo.
