The iconic Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon will now be known as the Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM). Beginning with the 15th edition of the Marathon on January 21, 2018, for the next 10 years the Tata Group will be the title sponsor for the event. The USD 405,000 (two-and-a-half-crore rupees) event is considered Asia’s most prestigious and one of the top 10 marathons of the world, noted the official TMM website carrying a detailed report of the function on August 1, 2017 when registrations were officially opened.
As announced N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of the Tata Group that has over 100 independent operating companies, "Events like the marathon promote values like grit, tenacity, excellence, perseverance, belief, commitment and passion that have been a key part of the Tata Group’s ethos since its inception, almost 150 years ago. Partnering with India’s premier long-distance running event is a great way for the Tata Group to increase our engagement with the community, raise funds for charity as well as create societal awareness about the necessity of good health and fitness. As a marathoner, I’m personally proud to support this partnership.”
At the launch (from left): Vivek Singh, John Abraham, Rajesh Gopinathan,
N. Chandrasekaran, ‘King’ Haile Gebrselassie
To be jointly sponsored by Tata Consultany Services (TCS), the software giant’s chief executive officer and managing director Rajesh Gopinathan said, "At TCS, we believe that a healthy and fit workforce is a pre-requisite for sustained business success. Through our support of marathons globally as well as internal programs like Fit4Life, a strong message about health and fitness is now part of the culture of the company. Over the years, TCS has partnered with many marathons around the world.”
TMM will now sport a new logo that represents the seven islands of Bombay with the silhouette of a runner emerging from the space within. An exclusive anthem Nikal Pado toh Mumkin Hai (Make a beginning to succeed) has been composed by the duo Salim–Sulaiman and sung by Sukhwinder Singh. The lyrics of the anthem have been penned by Prasoon Joshi.
The running places have been increased to 46,000 across the six categories. In addition to the 42 km full marathon, 21 km half marathon, and seven kilometer Dream Run, the Marathon will now introduce a 10 km timed run exclusively via charity for participants above 15 years of age. To encourage women participants, a limited number of places will be reserved for them in the 10 km event as also in the half marathon. The other two categories are The Senior Citizens’ Run and Champions with Disability.
Guest of honor ‘King’ Haile Gebrselassie, two times Olympic winner from Ethiopia, commented, "It’s incredible how a running movement can bring about a positive change in society. It inculcates a sense of pride among citizens and unites everyone for a better civil society. In the last couple of years, I have seen India’s growing influence as a global running destination; the increasing number of races and participants here is testimony to the growing pool of talent available, and the potential for India to be a force to reckon with in the sport of running. With a global leader like the Tatas taking on the mantle as a title sponsor, the event is sure to grow from strength to strength in the coming years.”
Besides the Parsi founded Tata Group, others with Parsi connections associated with TMM are "Face of the Event,” cine star John Abraham, and managing director and joint managing director of Procam International that organizes the event, brothers Anil and Vivek Singh (all born to Parsi mothers). Abraham considered the Mumbai Marathon "a platform that encourages the spirit of giving, as much as it teaches one the joy of living. The glory of this marathon is reflective of a heroic quality, which is symbolized by the thousands that participate and run alongside each other, and we are sure that the numbers will only increase each year!”
TMM today "is a phenomenon that has sparked a health and fitness revolution across the country and has become a springboard for Indian long and middle distance runners,” observed Anil Singh, adding, "it has become a beacon of humanity and compassion as the largest platform for charity fundraising… In Tatas, we couldn’t have found a better partner to take this journey ahead!”