When Mumbai Awoke to 60,000 Jabs
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Wednesday 21st January, 2009 15 Sri Lanka number one Ajith Bandara was involved in his 22nd overseas race. Bandara was running at great speed in the lead pack with Kenyan Sri Lanka’s Anuradhi Bogahawatte and Ethiopian runners in the first 10 kilometers. Later, he dropped from was attempting to achieve the time the lead pack. Here he is seen in the last 300 meters of the race. He fin- she clocked in the Mumbai Marathon ished first in the GROE South and South East Asian region and clocked (03.4.21) in 2008. She fell short of 02 hours 24.30 minutes. her target by five minutes, but man- aged to finish among the first three athletes in the South Asian region. She clocked 3.9.35. Kenneth Mugara was amazing. On his debut Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, he outran the record holder and two time champion John Kelai to finish with a new course record. Mugara, who broke away from the bunch during the last 10 kilo- meters of the race had only David Tarus to compete with in the last phase. Here, he is seen running alone in a perfect sprint action during the last few meters of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon. Mugara clocked 02 hours, 11.51 minutes. Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon When Mumbai awoke to The Mumbai Marathon is also called the Historic Marathon of the four legged Standard Chartered Greatest Race on Earth Marathon series. The picture shows the starting point of the race on the eve of the Marathon on Saturday. The green and blue coloured tents are seen being built along one of the busiest roads in Mumbai. On the backdrop is the Chhatrapati Shivaji 60,000 jabs Visually handicapped Japan’s Yuichi Takahashi, Railway Terminus, which was one of the three places attacked by terrorists last November. An elaborate construction in Victorian Gothic styling, the building is a World Heritage site. Also who won gold in the T12 marathon at the Athens Text and pix by the starting point near note the Ambassador cars on the road. If you look around and don’t see an Ambassador car Paralympics, took part in the All-Stars team and Reemus Fernando Chhatrapati Shivaji around, you can be certain you are not in Mumbai. crossed the finish line with his wife Yoshiko as a Railway Terminus, with the guide in a time of 3:03:55. ust six weeks after ter- flow of athletes lasting for ror shook Mumbai, the over 25 minutes, Mumbai Jfinancial capital of awoke and shook off the India, over sixty thousand ashes of terror that had foot jabs nearly shook the settled on them for over ground beneath the histori- six weeks. While thou- cally important buildings of sands cheered and geared the city on Sunday. When for the local and interna- over 30,000 athletes set off tional athletes, the memory for both the half marathon of the terror attack was and the full marathon from surely history. John Kelai has a never say die atti- tude. The two time Mumbai Marathon champi- on suffered stom- ach cramps, but endured it to fin- ish third in the overall category Last Sunday, at least three dozen mediamen in India went a grueling journey The African domination of marathons continues. The front pack of the and finish first in of 42 kilometers. Luckily, they didn’t have to move a single foot to do that Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon was completely dominated by Kenyan the GROE catego- unlike the runners on whom their eyes were all set. Boarded on the top deck and Ethiopian runners who were at least 500 meters ahead of the rest of the ry to complete a of a double decker bus, there eyes were all set on the bunch of leading black runners in every phase of the race after the first 10 kilometers. The picture hat-trick. He is runners from the African continent who ran at an amazing speed towards shows the lead pack of the Mumbai Marathon running along the Marine Drive seen in the last them across Mumbai. The Indian media were all agog to capture each and of the Mumbai Metropolitan area. phase of the every move of the leading bunch of marathon runners. marathon. .