Once considered the ultimate test of fitness and endurance, marathons today have largely become associated with celebrities and social causes. The Mumbai Marathon is not an exception. The landmark event in the city’s calendar owes a lot to the stars and the well-known NGOs and corporate houses for the popularity that it enjoys today. But that also overshadows the efforts and achievements of elite-runners and professional marathoners, who take a backseat to the glamour that celebs bring and the attention that social causes get.
Be it the London Marathon, where 26-year-old Kiran Gandhi’s (who ran the marathon during her period) statement on menstruation stole the limelight from the actual winners or our very own Mumbai Marathon, that has a short ‘dream’ run format tailor-made for celebrities — what was once at the periphery of the event has now become the focus, feel some elite runners. As veteran marathoner Ashok Nath puts it, “Not everyone who runs a marathon is a marathoner.”
Ashok, however, does point out that the elite runners aren’t in it for the fame. He also adds, that a little attention to the winners would go a long way in rewarding their efforts. “The number of people running marathons as amateurs is so huge that they have almost become the main focus. And the elites are being sidelined. There should be more focus on elite runners. (We) do not remember even the names of the winners,” he says.
And one cannot always blame the mainstream media or the digital and social platforms. Support should also come from co-runners during the marathon, says national record holder O.P. Jaisha, who is aiming to break her own record in the marathon today. Jaisha says, “When the people who you are running with support you and cheer you on, it makes you happy and it inspires you. Only we know the actual rigours of marathon as a sport. There is nothing wrong with inviting celebrities to take part in marathons, but in my opinion, if the idea behind calling celebrities is to motivate the runners, the organisers should also consider inviting Olympic medallists or other famous athletes. An Olympic medallist is also a very big celebrity. That kind of presence in the race could be the inspiration runners are looking for.”
While agreeing that the social causes form a big part of the marathon, veteran marathoner and regular podium finisher Vaishali Kasture says, “Ten years ago, the marathons had 3,000 runners. Now they have around 30,000. So in a way the association of celebrities has done a lot of good from a fitness perspective. But from a sports perspective, not so much.” Lauding the efforts of runners such as Jaisha and Lalita Babbar, Vaishali adds, “During the Airtel Delhi Marathon, women such as Jaisha and Lalita Babbar gave a record breaking run. But how many people spoke about them on social media or in mainstream media Several elite runners run in very mediocre gear or clothes and often don’t have enough sponsorship despite their results. They train rigorously for events such as the Olympics. They need our support.”
While seeing stars run marathons can inspire many into fitness, the stories of the elite runners too can be just as much of an inspiration, argues Ashok. “For the marathoners, the marathon is a 9-5 job. I see big stories on the training regimes of some of celebrities everywhere. But to us, these are a big joke. Nobody knows about the actual rigour and the sacrifices that marathoners go through in the six to eight months of training that they undergo before race day.”
