Mumbai: Even as runners tried to get hold of their breath the hot and humid climate on Sunday was not favourable for them. However, the elite runners found it favourable enough to complete their full marathon. “The weather condition was much favourable and it wasn’t much hot compared to last year.
If the full marathon elite men and women would have begun one hour prior to the actual time then it would have helped them improve their race timings,” said Sudha Singh, winner of full marathon elite women 2019. On the other hand, the soaring temperatures was a concern too. In south Mumbai, the maximum temperature rose to 34.6 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal, and the minimum was recorded at 17.9 degrees.
“By the time we ran half the marathon, the sun had risen and it became really hot. The temperatures seem quite high for a winter month,” said Swarupa Rao, who participated in the Half Marathon. Another runner, Rakesh Khatri, a Delhi-based businessman said, “I found the weather very hot and humid today as I flew in from Delhi, which is comparatively cooler. But the arrangements made to cool off the heat were not in place, which made the run all the more difficult.”