I had never seen the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM).

So early today morning (January 19, 2014) I joined the many who lined the streets of the city to watch the runners go by. 

Predictably my small camera was challenged trying to photograph the elite athletes.

It found slower world around, easier to capture than runner whizzing by.

The top athletes maintained quite a pace.

Amid the corporate overdose, the branding and sense of heavy duty event – the pace of the elite lot was my take away of the day.

They ran.

They and all else who ran, even those who attempted to; they restored to me what I had come to see – running.

(The author, Shyam G Menon, is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai. All the above photos were taken by him.)