Strong elite field to lead 17,000 plus participants in the inaugural Maharashtra Police International Marathon

by Suman Gupta

Superstar Ajay Devgan to be the face of the #MarathonMovement; Akshay Kumar to flag off 5K Run

Mumbai, February 6, 2020: MUMBAI WILL RUN AGAIN! Mumbai’s running community has once again responded in champion style and will be joined by participants from the Police and Armed Forces to form a ‘Sea of Humanity’ at the Gateway of India and the Bandra end of the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link as 17,000 plus participants will lace up for the inaugural edition of the Maharashtra Police International Marathon (MPIM), organised by the Maharashtra State Police and scheduled to be held on 9th February 2020.

Among the 17000 plus participants will be 700 Full Marathoners, 3250 Half Marathoners, 5576 10 Mile Runners and 7907 5K athletes

The event is supported by JIO, Axis Bank and LIC along with a host of other sponsors and partners who have helped in   raising the profile of the event by contributing in cash and kind.

The MPIM will be the only International running event in the country that is organized directly by the State Police and offers total prize money of Rs 73,46,000  in various age categories. The winners of the Full Marathon for men & women stand to gain an award of Rs 3 lakhs each, while the male and female winners of the Half Marathon will take home Rs 2 lakhs each.

The MPIM is being conducted under the aegis of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), while the route has been certified by official course measurers from AIMS and AFI. Officials from all over the state, coordinated by AFI, will be responsible for the technical conduct of the event.

Race Director: IGP (Admin), Krishna Prakash (IPS) who is the only Indian in Government Service to finish multiple Ironmans, Ultramans and the Race Across West America, which is considered to be one the toughest cycling tracks in the world, will be the race director for the event.

Face of the Event: Actor Ajay Devgn will be the face of the event and will be present on race day along with Akshay Kumar. Also present will be top most elected representatives of the State Government, along with the highest-ranking officials from the Police Department.

Speaking about the initiative Shri Krishna Prakash, IG, Admin said, “While running has already caught up in a big way in Mumbai and the rest of the country, there was no running event which would directly target personnel from the Police Force. The Maharashtra Police aims

to bridge the gap between the police and its citizens with both running shoulder to shoulder on race day.    The Maharashtra Police International Marathon aims to inspire each and every police officer, irrespective of rank, gender and age get super fit through the simple task of running.

It is indeed heartening to see the huge response from the sports and fitness loving populace of Mumbai, the state and other parts of the country, who have come forward in large numbers to join their police brethren and help in making this inaugural edition a success,” IG Krishna Prakash added.

Elite Athletes: Around 50 of the top Indian Male and Female elite athletes will be vying for the top honours at the inaugural edition. The Full Marathon men’s field in the Indian Elite category will be headed by Rahul Pal, who has a personal best of 2:21:52 and is the winner of the Allahabad Marathon.  He will be challenged by Prahlad Singh, Jitendra Singh and Santosh Patel, among others while the female category will be led by Jyoti Gawate, who finished runner up at the Mumbai Marathon 2020, along with Ritu Pal and Shalmali Singh to name a few.

The Men’s Half Marathon field will be led by Tirth Kumar Pun who is the winner of the Pune Half Marathon and finished 2^nd in the Vasai-Virar Mayor’s Marathon in a time of 1:04.42, along with Kalidas Hirave and Ranjit Kumar Patel. The Women’s Half Marathon field will be led by Kiran Sahdev, winner of the Vasai Virar Mayor’s Marathon followed by Monika Athare, Aarti Patil and Anjali Gupta.

Bib Distribution Expo: The bib distribution expo began at the JIO Convention Centre, BKC today and will be on till Saturday, February 8. This is a one of a kind expo, where the Maharashtra Police will be putting, Weapons, Bomb Detection & Disposal Squad (BDDS), Traffic Management, Wireless Equipment and the Dog Squad on display. Apart from the exhibition, the event will also see Michelin Star Chef Hemant Oberoi collaborate with the organisers to curate a unique Maharashtrian Carbo Loading menu filled with local flavours.

Race Timings: The Full Marathon for the international elite will be flagged off from Gateway of India, Colaba at 5.00 AM, while the amateurs and Indian elites will be flagged off at 5:10 AM. The Half Marathon and 10 miler will be flagged off from the Toll Plaza, Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link, Bandra at 5.00 AM and 5.40 AM respectively. The 5 KM run will be flagged off at 8:00 AM from the Gateway of India, Colaba

Charity drive associated with the event: The Maharashtra Police International Marathon has partnered with India Cares Foundation as the Philanthropy Partners for the event. As Philanthropy Partners, India Care Foundation has laid out a solid outreach program through ‘Tread 4 Change’. Tread 4 Change is a unique community initiative where MPIM has partnered will Golds Gym, who have provided treadmills in 10 plus cities across the state. Through this program, the organizers will reach out to Corporates who will, in turn, pledge a certain amount for each KM generated through this challenge and donate to one of the 5 NGOs (Dignity Foundation, Disha, Safe Kids Foundation, Salaam Baalak Trust and Care For You) associated with India Cares Foundation.

Medical Partner: Renowned Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine expert Dr. Ashish Contractor and his team from the Sir H.N. Reliance foundation will take care of the entire medical requirements for the race. Nine fully equipped ambulances, each staffed with a doctor, Nurse, Paramedic and attendant will be stationed along the route. Besides this, 12 doctors, among them Critical Care doctors, Orthopaedics, Family Medicine Doctors, Rehab & Sports Doctors, supported by 25 Nurses will be on duty to take of any medical emergency that arises during and post the race.

Marathon Rockers: Various school bands from across Mumbai city will be participating in the Marathon Rockers School band competition to be held over three days at the Expo. Renowned singer Remo Fernandes and Roop Kumar Rathod will be present on Saturday and will pick the winning teams from among the finalists. These school bands will get an opportunity to play some amazing songs playlist curated for the marathon

On Route Facilities: 40,000 litres of water will be distributed through a total of 20 stations and Fast&Up will be available at eight energy drink stations. There will also be five Orange stations on the course. 35 Chemical toilets at Gateway of India, 15 on Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link and 24 toilets throughout the course have been arranged for the convenience of the participants.  A Medical Base Camp will be set up at the finish point of all the timed races. There will also be eight medical stations along the route. All participants will receive a backpack along with their running bibs, while they will receive Masti Chaas, flavoured milk and a sports towel along with a Finisher’s Medals and refreshments post the race at the Gateway of India.