Had it not been for the addition of the Bandra Worli Sea Link to the 2010 Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon's course, the race could have witnessed a much slower timing
Had it not been for the addition of the Bandra Worli Sea Link to the 2010 Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon's course, the race could have witnessed a much slower timing than the 2:12:34 run by winner Denis Ndiso of Kenya.
Given there were no former men's winners to boast of in the line-up and the humid weather, it could so easily have been disaster as far as the race's timings were concerned. But the Sea Link saved the city some embarrassment.
Elite athletes' co-ordinator Ian Ladbroke explained: "As compared to previous Mumbai marathons, the weather today was the hottest u2014 hovering around the 22-degree mark. However, the Sea Link provided a mild breeze and the temperature too was much cooler there," Ladbroke told MiD DAY yesterday.
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Champion Ndiso could not agree more. "It certainly felt better running on the Sea Link. My body felt good," he said.
Kenya's Jonathan Kibet felt the smooth surface of the Sea Link was beneficial too. "I believe it's a newly laid road, so it was very good to run on. It is definitely a very important stretch of the race."
And important it was, considering Ndiso broke off from the pack as soon as the Sea Link stretch ended. He then went on to take a huge lead. He eventually finished over a minute faster than second-placed Siraj Ghena of Ethiopia (2:13:58).
Race director Hugh Jones admitted before the race that the Sea Link could make a difference, albeit a small one, in improving timings. However, he had also pointed out that the weather should be favourable.
Now, it's not possible to alter the humidity in the city, but an earlier start to the race can definitely help, said Ladbroke.
"Instead of 7:40am, a 6:30am start to the race will make a huge difference to the overall timings. From the broadcasting point of view, it may be a bit dark around that time but in places like Honolulu, the marathon is flagged off at 4:30am in pitch darkness. I think if it's good for the race and the athletes, an early start to the full marathon could be considered," Ladbroke said.
Another solution to improve race timings could be a slight alteration in the course. Currently, the course is designed in such a way that the runners take the Sea Link only one way u2014 while returning. If it can be altered to enable the runners to run to and fro on the Sea Link, timings could improve further. But that seems unlikely.
"I don't think that's possible because it's already been quite tough to include the Sea Link in the race in the first place because we've had to make a bigger loop elsewhere on the course to accommodate the extra kilometers saved," said Jones.
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