Indian athletes taking part in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM) 2015 have motivation and incentive to perform. Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is treating the event as selection trial before finalising the national squad for the 2015 Beijing World Athletics Championships.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is ready to provide an all-expenses paid entry for the prestigious New York City (NYC) Marathon this year, apart from specialised coaches and training software for first two Mumbai men and women finishers.
Lalita Babbar and Karan Singh, toppers among Indians at the Mumbai marathon last year, are among those eyeing a top two finish this year for a ticket to Beijing as per qualification norms and a ticket to New York for an opportunity to rub shoulders with marathon’s world elite. AFI president Adille Sumariwalla revealed the federation’s plan to view Mumbai performances on January 18 as a trial for marathoners aiming to make it to the Indian team. TCS Executive VP and Global Head HR, Ajoy Mukherjee, announced the unique incentive.
Lalita from Indian Railways returned at a time of two hours, 50 minutes and 31 seconds in full marathon at Mumbai race in 2014 to grab first place among Indians and 12th overall. Karan from Pune’s Army Sports
Institute clocked 2:24:08 for the best time in men’s full marathon, earning 16th place overall. Elite athletes from African nations like Kenya, Ethiopia dominated both events, pushing talented Indians to faster timings.
Both Indians have to run faster to come under qualification time for Beijing Worlds (2:18:00 in men full marathon and 2:44:00 in the women’s event, as stipulated by the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF). The Indians will benefit by pacing themselves against top-quality elite marathoners on Sunday, so can aim for career best performance and the NYC race entry.
AFI chief Mr. Sumariwalla, appreciating TCS gesture in opening up two places for Indian runners, said, “The federation hopes our marathoners compete outside India, in conditions they are not familiar with and prove themselves.”
TCS Global HR Head Mukherjee quipped, “New York marathon is one of world’s premier races, attracting over 50,000 runners each year. We are delighted to give our best long distance runners the opportunity to prepare in a professional way, using coaches and software available with New York Road Runners.
