Mumbai Runs to Secure its Future; 35,450 people have registered to run on January 18
Mumbai will be up and runningon January 18, 2009, the date of the sixth edition of the Standard CharteredMumbai Marathon. 35,450 participants will line up at the starting point outsidethe Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in a show of unity and solidarity to bring thecity together on the unified platform of sport.
Tweet-- Mumbai will be up and runningon January 18, 2009, the date of the sixth edition of the Standard CharteredMumbai Marathon. 35,450 participants will line up at the starting point outsidethe Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in a show of unity and solidarity to bring thecity together on the unified platform of sport.
With less than a month to gofor Asia’s richest and largest marathon, the strong message being sent out tothe world is that “Mumbai is safe”and what better way to drive home the message than play host to thisprestigious international event that begins and ends at the Chhatrapati ShivajiTerminus and has as its Hospitality Partner The Trident, two locations thatwere targets of the dastardly attacks on 26/11.
Announcing the preparednessto host the event, which has less than a month to go was Neeraj Swaroop,Regional Chief Executive, India & South Asia, Standard Chartered Bank, thetitle sponsor, along with S Ramadorai, CEO andManaging Director, Tata Consultancy Services, the Associate Sponsor andDevendra Bharma, ExecutiveVice President, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Mumbai.Backing their statements was the Deputy Chief Minister Shri Chhagan Bhujbal, MPand IOA President Shri Suresh Kalmadi, high ranking officials from the StateGovernment and the Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Palika and a cross section ofMumbai’s prominent citizens.
According to Neeraj Swaroop, RegionalChief Executive, Standard Chartered Bank, India & South Asia,“I am delighted to know that 35,000 Mumbaikars will gather together to Run fortheir cause on January 18, 2009. The event showcases the best of Mumbai fromits determined spirit to its large heartedness. What better time to demonstratethese qualities than now as we as a city resolutely bounce back from lastmonth’s tragedy.
This year, we have dedicated the Standard CharteredMumbai Marathon 2009 to the theme ‘Run for a Cause’. Through our campaign, wehave made special efforts to encourage every participant to use the marathon tosupport a cause close to their hearts. I look forward to seeing Mumbaikars andothers from around Indiaand the world come together to run for their favourite cause and for a betterand more secure Mumbai.”
S Ramadorai, CEO and Managing Director Tata Consultancy Servicessaid, “The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon is symbolic of grit,
determination and display of human spirit, which are the attributes that
TCS stands for. This event gives over 1,200 TCSers an opportunity to run
for a common cause to celebrate the indomitable spirit of Mumbai.”
Devendra Bharma, Executive Vice President, OberoiHotels & Resorts, Mumbai said, “Trident, Nariman Point,Mumbai is delighted to partner the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon once again for 2009. The run galvanises thecitizens of Mumbai like no other event has. It brings together people acrosscultures, religions and social strata.”
Since its inception in 2004,the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon has been embraced by the city and itscitizens as its very own, the sense of ownership and belonging strengtheningover the years. In the sixth year the event was oversubscribed much before thelast date and it is this commitment from the participants that propels promotersProcam International, backed by the powers that govern, to deliver an evenbetter event on January 18, 2009.
Marathonlegend and Race Director Hugh Jones puts things in the right perspective whenhe says, “Marathons are exercises in adversity. Runners struggle to completethem, but doing so brings great satisfaction and fellow-feeling. The same istrue for the organisation of marathons. Putting together an event of the scaleand complexity of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon is a difficult processat the best of times, so much more so in the wake of the November events inMumbai.”
“Like the New York Marathon held only seven weeks after the 9/11 disaster, I amconvinced that the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon will help people to riseabove the recent trauma. Running a marathon is an assertion of basic humancapabilities, and it brings out the best in people. It is a demonstration oftheir own strength and determination in cooperation with others. The onlyadversary is one’s self.”
The sixth edition of TheStandard Chartered Mumbai Marathon is a statement that the event has defied allodds and exceeded all expectations. Be it the number of registeredparticipants, the quality of the elite athlete field, the winning times or theamounts raised towards charity, the growth and improvement curve has beensignificant.
If at all one thing remainedsteady, it has been the rock solid commitment of the promoters, sponsors andpartners to the event to intensify the marathon experience of each individualevery year.
One of the reasons foropening registrations six months prior to the event was to encourage more andmore participants to strive and graduate from the Dream Run into the HalfMarathon and from the Half Marathon into Marathon.Going by the registration figures of the various categories it can be said withcertainty that the number of runners who have graduated from fun runners intoserious runners is now significant.
The Full Marathon hasreceived 2500 entries, while the Half Marathon a whopping 11,000. The SeniorCitizens’ Run will have 1800 participants, while the Wheelchair Event 150 with20,000 people having registered for the Dream Run.
Another reason for the earlydate of registrations was to give all participants desirous of raising moneyfor charity ample time to reach out to a wider circle of people and garnersupport for their drive. The response, backed by the efforts of the Official Charity Partner United Way,has been encouraging and there are all indications that the monies raised thisyear will exceed the figure of Rs 8.5 crores that was reached last year.
Already the richest marathonin Asia, the Standard Chartered MumbaiMarathon 2009 will now offer an enhanced prize purse of USD 250,000, anincrease of USD 10,000 over what was on offer last year. The increase in prizemoney is in keeping with the stature of the event, tagged as amongst the topten marathons in the world.
The race categories for theStandard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2009 would be as follows: Full Marathon(42.195km); Half Marathon (21.097km); Dream Run (6km); Sr. Citizens’ Run(4.3km) and the Wheelchair Event (2.5km).
The stage is set for yetanother successful edition of Mumbai’s foremost sporting event and the leadingplayers have confirmed their participation.
The world will be watching tosee how Mumbai and its citizens rally around the Standard Chartered MumbaiMarathon, making a strong statement to the world that “Mumbai Runs to Secure its Future.”
Title Sponsor: Standard Chartered Bank
Associate Sponsor: Tata Consultancy Services
Under the Aegis of: Athletics Federation of India
Supported by: Government of Maharashtra
MunicipalCorporation of Greater Mumbai
MumbaiPolice
IndianNavy-Western Naval Command
Maharashtra Athletic Association
Promoted by: ProcamInternational
Notes to Editor
Procam International is a sports marketing company thatoffers extensive experience in the sports sector. Procam International creates,promotes and delivers world-class sporting and leisure events through itsexpertise in conceptualization, marketing, and execution. Established in 1988, ProcamInternational created with a vision to provide a more holistic spend to theadvertising rupee and a burning desire to ameliorate the prevailingprofessional standards for sports and sportsmen.
Procam International proactively organise internationalevent like Hutch Delhi Half Marathon, Standard Chartered InternationalMarathon, Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, ……………………… Procam Internationalhas promoted and conducted over 25 world events in the last 18 years. The company'sskill sets cover: publicity; contracts; sponsorship acquisition; commercialnegotiation; media; sponsorship exploitation and event management.