by Suman Gupta
Mumbai, June: The gruelling 4th edition of the 24-hour Stadium Run, organised by NEB Sports, came to an exhilarating finish here on Sunday evening, with New Delhi’s Narender Ram being crowned the champion in the men’s category for the second consecutive year after covering a mind-boggling distance of 165.6 kilometres. In the women’s category, it was Priyanka Bhatt from Mumbai who came out on top as the new champion after she ran a distance of 151.6 kms.
“I am already looking forward to my next run in this city,” the drained out champion, Narender Ram said, speaking about the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon 2019 to be held here on August 25.
Narender and Priyanka braved the scorching sun, energy-sapping humidity, intermittent drizzles, lack of sleep and extreme fatigue for 24 hours at a stretch to underline their super endurance. Not surprisingly, they were regaled as heroes by organisers, co-runners and spectators after completing their vigils late on Sunday evening.
In the men’s category of the 24-hour run, Amar Shiv Dev completed a distance of 156 kms to finish second while Devi Prashanth Suresh Shetty won the bronze medal with his feat of 153.2 kms. In the women’s category, Apeksha Shah ended on the second spot with her effort of 116.8 kms.
“We had as many as 1,000 runners over the weekend, including 36 in the 24-hour category,” IDBI Federal Life Insurance’s Chief Marketing Officer, Karthik Raman said. “We were hoping for the monsoon to hit Mumbai by now, making it conducive for the brave participants. Sadly, it was much more humid than normal and that much tougher for them,” he explained.
Nagaraj Adiga, CMD, NEB Sports said, “We commend the efforts of all the participants, especially the 24-hour runners, who put in their utmost and clocked impressive mileage despite the tough weather conditions. It was their extreme mental strength and willpower that drove them to persevere and complete the race.”
In the 12-Hour Run, Geeno Antony turned in a stunning performance to emerge victorious with a total distance of 109.134 kms in the men’s category. Sathish Kumar R took home the silver with a total distance of 102.366 kms while Rahim KS made it to the third place after covering 91.575 kms.
In the women’s class, Babita Baruwati made it to the top of the list after she clocked a total distance of 80.925 kms. Preeti Lala ended with a total distance of 78.435 kms to come second while Sunaina Patel, with 77.19 kms, claimed the bronze medal.
Held on the lines of the famous Le Mans auto race in France, the Stadium Run required the runners to be on the go for 24 hours, apart from a few occasional stops. This year’s event served as a qualification round for the 2019 IAU 24-Hour World Ultra Marathon Championship to be held in France in October this year. The event is also considered by serious runners as a build-up to the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon 2019 to be held in August.
The Stadium Run started on Saturday, June 15 at 5 am and ended on Sunday, June 16 at 6pm with the runners participating in four categories: 24-hr Individual, 12-hr Individual, 12-hr Open Team Relay and the 12-hr Corporate Team Relay. Over 250 relay teams took part in the Run, with 30 being from the corporate sector. In all, the Stadium Run witnessed participation from over 2000 runners, who clocked a mind-numbing combined 84,756 laps which is 33,902.4kms. Participants were cheered on by 
fellow runners and families in a carnival-like atmosphere over the two days.
Results
24-Hour Run
Men’s category
1)Narender Ram – 165.6kms; 2) Amar Shiv Dev – 156 kms; 3) Devi Prasanth Suresh Shetty – 153.2 kms
Women’s category
1) Priyanka Bhatt – 151.6 kms; 2) Apeksha Shah – 116.8 kms
12-Hour Run
Men’s category
1) Geeno Antony – 109.134 kms; 2)Sathish Kumar R – 102.366 kms; 3) Rahim K S – 91.575 kms
Women’s category
1) Babita Baruwati – 80.925 kms; 2) Preeti Lala – 78.435 kms; 3) Sunaina Patel – 77.19 kms
