Indian marathoners, aiming to crack the qualifying time for the London Olympics , have the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM) as the last major international event, according to C.K. Valson, Athletics Federation of India Technical Committee chairman.
AFI announced 2 hours, 15 minutes as the men's qualifying cut-off for ‘A' grade runners and 2:18 for ‘B' grade marathoners.
For women marathoners, the relevant times are 2:37 (A) and 2:43 (B) according to Valson, who surveyed the route along with Race Director Hugh Jones and Race Referee Dave Cundy.
The AFI has granted official status to SCMM 2012. Elite Indian distance runners will arrive early to get a feel of the revised route, said the AFI technical official, pointing out that earlier start time (7.25 a.m.) and lower morning temperature should help Indian aspirants.
