This year’s edition of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon saw many celebrities, including ones that have been regulars at the event’s previous editions, giving it a miss.
While a few such as Rahul Bose, R Madhavan, Milind Soman and Tara Sharma either made appearances or participated in the Dream Run, several others who have come to be associated with the marathon such as Mandira Bedi, fashion designer Narendra Kumar, fitness icon Dino Morea and VJ-turned-actor Rannvijay stayed away from the tracks, making the event bleak in terms of star-quotient.
While Mandira Bedi said that an injured ankle had kept her away from participating in the event, Rannvijay said, “I would have loved to participate in this year’s event, but unfortunately I am engaged in my work currently in Delhi, so it’ll be a miss for me this year.” Fashion designer Narendra Kumar on his part said that while he had not been able to take part in this year’s event, his relationship with the marathon is far from over. “In fact, I have already been training for the next year’s marathon and I will definitely not be missing it again,” he said.
However, the presence of a few big names such as the event ambassador John Abraham and marathon newbie Katrina Kaif, who flagged off the Dream Run format ensured that Bollywood fans and eager onlookers had enough to cheer for.
Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor had earlier shared that his participation in this year’s marathon would not be just for his personal fitness but also to support the cause of autism awareness.
He said, “Like every year, this year too I am supporting the cause of autism awareness at the marathon and raising funds for the Forum for Autism, which is a autism parents’ group.”
