About 500 runners will participate in the sixth edition of The Mumbai Ultra – 12 Hour Run to spread the message of ‘Run Over Cancer’ and ‘Wellness Over Illness’ on Independence Day.
Started in 2014, the marathon aims to raise awareness of the benefits of running. It follows the format of an ultramarathon and participants will have to run a distance of over 42.2 km, which is the distance of a full marathon. The event will begin at Shivaji Park and participants will run from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. with mandatory breaks for medical check-ups and meals.
Race director Daniel Vaz said, “The event invites runners to test their mettle by covering an ultramarathon distance with a ‘time-based’ element, where they can run as much as they can and as long as they can. There are no prizes because everyone is a winner.”
The participants will end up finishing anything from 50 km to 120 km and all winners will be presented with the Finisher’s Medal. Naveen Hegde, one of the core organisers of the run, said, “When we keep our body in use, we are able to retain our fitness well into our senior years. Else, the body atrophies, resulting in aches and pain as early as the late 20s. So get off the chair, put on your shoes and run.”
There will be four hydration stations equipped with water, fruits, snacks, physiotherapists and one stationary ambulance. A food court will provide meals to participants. Volunteers on bikes will also be available to help and support the runners throughout the day.
Milind Soman, brand ambassador of the run, said, “We want to promote running in society.” Mr. Soman will be participating in the 12-hour run. Runners from the Indian Navy will also be in attendance. “We will have about 25 runners, comprising both men and women, participating this year. It is a great feeling for us that we could contribute in some way to a large cause in society and help kids suffering with cancer,” said Captain Deepak Singhal, a naval officer who runs marathons regularly.
For the first time, donations for the event have been raised for the treatment of paediatric cancer patients at TATA Memorial Hospital. Prakash Agarwal (41), a cancer survivor, and Neeru Bajaj (61), a brain tumour survivor, will be participating in the marathon.