NEB Sports says it is talking to Tour de France to bring bicycle races to India

On Saturday, December 7, Bengaluru will witness the 2024 International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) 100 km World Championship. The event was formally declared open today.

This is the first time India is hosting a 100 km World Championship. Last year, Hyderabad in Telengana had hosted the IAU 50 km World Championship.

About 300 ultrarunners from over 40 countries have landed in Bengaluru to participate in the championship. They will be competing in team and individual categories for both men and women.

The event supported by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is being held at the GKVK campus. It will also feature the World Masters 100 km Championships which allows participants to compete in five-year age categories (from 35 years onward).

Defending champions participating in the 2024 World Championship include Japan’s Haruki Okayama (winner) and Jumpei Yamaguchi in the men’s category. Among women, Floriane Hot (winner) from France and Caitriona Jennings (second runner-up) from Ireland will be participating.

“ The 100 km World Championships is not just a test of endurance but a celebration of human determination and camaraderie,” Dr Nadeem Khan, President of IAU, said at the opening ceremony of the Championship.

“ IAU has been growing strong and does not intend to stop. We intend to take the championships to places where we haven’t gone,” he said.

NEB Sports is organizing the event. Nagaraj Adiga, Chairman and Managing Director of NEB Sports, and the race director of the 100 km World Championship, said Bengaluru is an ideal city to host the Championship.

He pointed out that NEB Sports has been holding many running, triathlon and other non-cricket sporting events. He also said that NEB Sports is in talks with Tour de France to introduce a clutch of bicycle racing events in India.

Hosting the 100 km World Championship will help boost ultra-running as a sport in India, Adille Sumariwalla, President, AFI, was quoted as saying in a press note issued at the end of the opening ceremony.

(The author, Latha Venkatraman, is an independent journalist based in Mumbai)

Some more photos from the opening ceremony (photos: Latha Venkatraman)

On November 3, 2024, the year’s edition of the New York City Marathon set a world record for the number of participants running and finishing a marathon. It became the world’s largest marathon yet with 55,646 finishers.

The marathon’s course passes through the five boroughs of New York City. The race commences near the approach to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge on Staten Island. The route winds through four other bridges – Pulaski Bridge, Queensboro Bridge, Wills Avenue Bridge and Madison Avenue Bridge. The race ends at Central Park.

In the 2024 edition of the marathon, Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands won the men’s race while Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won the women’s race.

We spoke to a few of the runners from India about their experience running this marathon.

Bengaluru-based recreational runner, B. J. Vikram, is also a skater who has represented India at many championships.

He commenced his World Marathon Major (WMM) journey in April 2022 when he ran the Boston Marathon. In November 2024, he completed the WMM circuit and earned his six-star medal at the year’s New York City Marathon.

Of the six World Marathon Majors – Berlin Marathon, Boston Marathon, Chicago Marathon, London Marathon, New York City Marathon and Tokyo Marathon – Vikram finished four with timing of less than three hours each.

New York City Marathon, according to him, is the toughest. Travelling to the start point of the marathon itself can be an ordeal. The race organizers often arrange transportation via ferry or buses to the start line in Staten Island.

Though Vikram did not find the bridges too steep, the huge crowd of runners did pose a challenge. “ There was very little space to wind through the hordes of runners. I had to run cautiously. There was a lot of elbowing,” he said. Vikram ensured that he did not miss any of the hydration points. “ Hydration was offered in paper cups,” he said.

For Vikram, the last two miles which fall inside the Central Park, was quite tough. Weather, though, was quite good. Vikram finished his run in 2:59:26, fastest among the participants from India this time around. With this run Vikram earned his six-star WMM.

Deepa Nayak, coach and runner from Bengaluru, also earned her six-star medal at the finish of NYCM 2024.

Deepa landed in New York after running the Chicago Marathon 2024, which was held on October 13, 2024. “ I was aiming to better my personal timing in the marathon at Chicago and take the New York City Marathon easy,” Deepa said. Among the six WMMs, Berlin Marathon and Chicago Marathon are known for their relatively flat course often helping runners get improved timings.

“ For me, the Chicago Marathon did not go as per plan,” she said. Deepa finished the marathon in 3:15:41 against her personal best timing of 3:13:10.

“ In May of this year, I lost my mother to cardiac arrest. I went home to Siddapur for a while. When I resumed my training my body was not co-operating possibly due to emotional reasons,” she said. Slowly and steadily she got back to full-fledged training. “ I could see some improvement in my training. I also took a nutrition plan from Rashmi Cherian as I wasn’t recovering from my workouts,” she said. The nutrition plan worked. Deepa felt the improvement.

“ At Chicago, I started my run too fast and that cost me towards the end. I started following a 3:10 pacer and that was a mistake,” she said. The mid-section of the race was tough with harsh sun and high humidity.

In the run-up to Chicago Marathon, Deepa had a niggling hamstring injury, which did ease after a few physiotherapy sessions.

“ At New York, my plan was to take the run easy as this marathon course is not a PB (personal best) course. It was a very good run. I loved the vibe of the run. It was cold in the morning and windy as the start line but I was able to follow my plan perfectly. There was a lot of cheering and I enjoyed the last few kilometres. The Central Park section was good and I was able to run well,” Deepa said. She finished her run in 3:17:59, the fastest Indian woman runner this year at the event. She also earned her six-star medal.

Deepa now plans to take it a tad easy. “ I did five marathons in the last one year. I will be running Tata Mumbai Marathon but won’t be racing it,” she said.

For Dilip Vaitheeswaran, now a resident of Gurgaon, NYCM was his first World Marathon Major. He started running in 2016 and has participated in a few marathons including the Singapore Marathon.

Dilip and his wife Nivedita Viswanathan, also a runner since 2021, decided to attempt the World Marathon Majors together. “ We trained for six months incorporating hill runs, intervals, long runs and some speed workouts. Overall, our training went off well,” said Dilip.

New York City Marathon is a difficult course with a lot of inclines and bridges. Also, the travel to the start line at Staten Island requires runners to leave hours before the actual starting time. “ For international runners it may be tougher as the body clock is already haywire,” said Dilip. He chose to run in the same corral as his wife so as to be together until the start of the race.

The run went off fairly well for Dilip. According to him, the cool weather at the start of the race may prompt runners to step up the pace too early. “ For me, the last hour was tough. But the crowd and volunteer support were excellent,” said Dilip. He finished in 3:49:31.

Nivedita was running her second marathon at NYCM. “ I paced myself well and was able to get a tiny improvement in my timing,” she said. She finished in 5:43:51.

Dilip will be running the 100 km run in Border Ultra slated to be held in December 2024. Nivedita will be completing her Procam Slam with TSK 25 in Kolkata in December 2024.

At NYCM, Manuel Xavier Vernon Morais completed his second six-star World Marathon Major journey. According to him, he is the third Indian to complete the six-star WMM twice.

Now a Kolkata resident, Vernon started running during his Delhi days in 2013. He initially started with row, bike, run triathlon before focusing on long distance running.

During his schooling days in Chennai, Vernon was into sprint distances, table tennis and chess.

Vernon got into coaching and training people for running events. Alongside, he also started organizing events to bring in more recreational runners into running.

When he shifted to Kolkata in 2014, he realized that not many in the city were into running.

He started his first WMM journey in 2016 and earned his first WMM six-star medal in April 2022. He set out on his second WMM journey in September 2022 when he ran the Berlin Marathon, earning his second six-star WMM medal at NYCM 2024. “ I enjoyed NYCM very much. I maintained my pace throughout the race,” he said. He finished the run in 3:54:52. He is likely to do the Tata Mumbai Marathon in January 2025. “ I may also go for the New Delhi Marathon but I am yet to decide the distance,” he said.

For Delhi-based Amna Ahmed, NYCM was her fourth WMM, having done Berlin Marathon in 2022, Boston Marathon and Chicago Marathon in 2023.

She started running eight years ago. “ I initially took to walking and noticed many runners along my route. Soon, I was running,” she said. She joined Adidas Running group.

“ I train under Nivedita Samanta. I like her training plans. They are drafted around women’s needs and abilities,” she said.

Although, her training for NYCM did not go as well as expected the marathon turned out to be enjoyable for her. “ In the run-up to the marathon, I had a glute injury and I was not able to do long runs. Also, a day ahead of the race my pet cat passed away after being with us for eight years. Emotionally, I was not my regular self,” Amna said.

“ The run went well. I took it easy. It is a tough course especially towards the end but the crowd support carries you through,” she said. Amna finished the run in 4:10:39, improving her personal best timing by five seconds. Her husband Hamid Ahmed also ran NYCM. “ My husband and I have been doing the WMMs together,” she said.

She is slated to do London Marathon in April 2025.

In November 2023, Mohamed Yasir Sultan ran the virtual NYCM. A virtual run ensures guaranteed entry for the on-ground marathon the following year, according to Yasir. “ There are 1000 spots available through this route,” he said.

Chennai-based Yasir has been running since 2014. NYCM was Yasir’s third World Marathon Major. He did Berlin Marathon in 2018 and followed it up with Tokyo Marathon in 2023. In the intervening years, marathon running suffered a major setback from 2020 for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Running events were either cancelled or postponed.

His training for NYCM did not include hill runs as Chennai is largely bereft of hilly terrain. Also, his training suffered as he was down with a viral infection close to the race date.

The highlight of NYCM is Parade of Nations, where 20 participants from every country are invited. Yasir was able to meet Ted Metellus, Chief Event Production Officer and Race Director of NYCM and hand over a t-shirt of Chennai Runners. Yasir is currently the president of Chennai Runners.

According to Yasir, the NYCM course is unforgiving. Lack of adequate hill training started to impact his run. “ The 23rd to 26th kilometer stretch was the most daunting segment. Running on Queensboro Bridge felt never-ending,” he said. Yasir finished the marathon in 4:11:29 against his personal best timing of 3:37:02 set at the 2023 Tokyo Marathon.

Growing up in Assam, Bhagya Mohan Konwar was into cricket and badminton. He took to long-distance running later and has been into it for 15 years now. “ I train all through the year. I do specific training for a race three months ahead of the date even as I maintain my base training,” he said.

He trains under Coach Neera Katwal and is also part of Team Miles Ahead, a training group in Bengaluru.

Bhagya was running the Chicago Marathon as well as New York City Marathon back to back. His training went well but Chicago Marathon did not go as well as he expected. “ I started too fast and my body was not able to keep up the pace I set for myself. Eventually, I had to resort to a lot of walking,” he said. He finished the run in 4:28:09.

“ I stayed back in the US after Chicago Marathon. During the intervening period I continued running and also did a trek inside Yellowstone National Park,” he said.

Bhagya decided to run NYCM at an easy pace. He was able to run this marathon much better although he did get cramps at the 25th km mark. He finished the run in 4:20:27.

Having done four marathons this year including the Tata Mumbai Marathon in January and New Delhi Marathon in February, Bhagya plans to step down his marathon running and focus on shorter distances such as 10 km and the half marathon.

Neelam Vaid, an ENT surgeon, based in Aundh, is one marathon short of her six start WMM medal. She believes she was lucky to get a slot for NYCM in the tour operator category. “ New York Marathon was to be my training run for my upcoming 100 km Border Ultra run,” she said.

This time around she had no injuries. “ I added a lot of strength training and yoga practice over the last few months,” she said.

Running this marathon was an experience not to be missed, according to Neelam. “ The route is tough with constant rolling hills, tougher than Boston Marathon. But the cheering and the volunteering at NYCM is at another level. It is a phenomenal experience. I met runners from many countries. Ideally, NYCM should be the last of the six WMMs,” Neelam said.

At the 2023 edition of London Marathon, Neelam had completed the run along with her brother Tarun Gulati. “ I wasn’t sure he would run NYCM as he had a knee surgery two months prior to the marathon. Nevertheless, he turned up at the start line and initially intended to run a portion of the race. But finally, he completed the race,” she said. Neelam finished the run in 4:21:43. Tarun finished in 6:05:54.

(The author, Latha Venkatraman, is an independent journalist based in Mumbai)

World record holder Beatrice Chebet to lead elite runners in the field

The inaugural edition of the SFC Global 10K run in Navi Mumbai will see participation by international and Indian elite runners, the event’s organizers said.

Kenyan running legend Beatrice Chebet will be among those participating in the event. The first edition of the race is scheduled to be held on February 16, 2025. The run is being organized in association with Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), which has promised support for the event.

Chebet’s participation in the race was announced by Sandeep Asolkar, CMD, SFC Environmental Technologies, the title sponsor of the event. Chebet, the current women’s 10,000m world record holder (28 minutes, 54.14 seconds), won gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m events at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming only the third woman in history to win both these disciplines at the same Olympic Games.

The international elite athlete field for the race in Navi Mumbai is being put together by Elite Athlete Coordinator and Coach, Ian Ladbrooke, an official press release said.

The men’s elite field is likely to include Rodrigue Kwizera from Burundi, Birhanu Balew of Bahrain and Gemechu Dida of Ethiopia. Besides the 24 year-old Chebet, the women’s elite line-up may include Lilian Kasait of Kenya and Margaret Kipkemboi, also of Kenya. According to information available on the event website, prize money for international elite athletes, across both gender categories, ranges from 10,000 US dollars for the first-placed to 7500 dollars and 5000 dollars for those finishing second and third. The same for Indian elites is Rs 275,000, Rs 200,000 and Rs 150,000.

(Above is the link to a YouTube video of Beatrice Chebet winning the women’s 5000m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics)

It is understood that the race in Navi Mumbai will be along the township’s Palm Beach road, which connects Vashi to Belapur. A favourite with local runners for their long runs, this road has often featured in runners’ conversations as one stretch of tarmac in the Mumbai-Navi Mumbai region that got overlooked for a world class race of its own. In India, the best-known 10K as yet is the TCS 10K, which happens annually in Bengaluru. The long term vision for SFC Global 10K is to try and grow itself to a similar league, Bruno Goveas, Managing Partner, Aryanz Sports, part of the team organizing the event, said.

Speaking to this blog, Sandeep Asolkar, CMD, SFC Environmental Technologies, said that the company had gravitated towards being the title sponsor of the event for a basket of reasons. Although a medium sized outfit, SFC had over 22 runners in its fold, a few of them well-known in Navi Mumbai’s marathon running and training circles. Discussions around running were frequent at SFC and there had been the idea of doing something meaningful in that line. Further, having lived in Navi Mumbai for long, there was the urge to give something back to the township. A good quality event in running appeared relevant.

With runners themselves imagining the event and involved in arranging it, Sandeep believed that an event that was focused on runners would be possible. “ Our celebrities are the runners,” he said. It was decided to go ahead with a 10K race because the middle distances cut both ways – to the track and on to the road. It is a well known fact that many greats in long distance running cut their teeth first in the middle distances. Not to mention – the middle distances are a fantastic space by themselves. Sandeep said that his company’s commitment to the event is long-term and just as Beatrice Chebet was expected to headline the first edition, efforts would be made to keep bringing top athletes to Navi Mumbai for successive editions of the race.

Asked if the long-term vision was to position this 10K race in the same category as a TCS 10K, Sandeep said that he had no competition with any other race in mind. He said that for SFC, the best return on investment would be if the SFC Global 10K allowed people to see the best of international athletes in action, inspired more people to take up running and in the process, local talent, over time, rose to match those high levels of performance.

(The authors, Latha Venkatraman and Shyam G Menon, are independent journalists based in Mumbai)

Tamirat Tola, Sifan Hassan win in men’s and women’s categories. Both set new Olympic records

The 2024 Paris Olympics will be remembered for its two memorable marathons. Certainly therein, an unforgettable women’s marathon.

The men’s race was won by Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia in a new Olympic record of two hours, six minutes and 26 seconds (the previous Olympic record of 2:06:32 held by the late Kenyan athlete, Samuel Wanjiru was set in 2008). He was followed to the podium by Bashir Abdi of Belgium (2:06:47) and Benson Kipruto of Kenya (2:07:00). Tola who had come with the Ethiopian team as a reserve runner and subsequently replaced injured teammate Sesay Lemma, took a decisive lead past the 35 kilometres-mark. According to olympics.com, Tola is the fourth Ethiopian to win the men’s marathon title at the Olympic Games. For most fans of running, the biggest news coming out of the men’s marathon at Paris was possibly the failure of Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge to complete the race. He dropped out just after 30 kilometres following what appeared to be discomfort around the waist (it was later attributed to backpain). Olympics.com reported that the athlete, described often as the greatest marathoner ever, had told the website that he won’t be running at another Olympics. Paris was his last. As yet, Kipchoge is one of only three men to win the Olympic men’s marathon twice.

As the Kipchoge chapter appeared to fade in the men’s marathon, a similar imprint was opening up in the field of middle and long distance running for women. For many watching the Paris Olympic Games, the experienced Dutch middle-distance runner, Sifan Hassan, had seemed to disappoint winning bronze medals in the women’s 5000m and 10,000m events. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Sifan had won gold in the above said two disciplines plus a bronze in the 1500m to complete a unique triple. She is a former world champion in the 5000m and 10,000m besides being the owner of a basket of current and former records, including world records. Sifan made her debut in the women’s marathon only last year, in April 2023, when she won the year’s London Marathon in 2:18:33. That victory was despite stopping twice amidst the race to stretch her legs, during which time, she was left behind by the leading pack of runners.

On Sunday, August 11, Sifan, born in Ethiopia and currently representing the Netherlands, stuck to the leading pack of runners tenaciously in the final quarter of the marathon in Paris and eventually snatched victory from Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa with a track-like sprint to the finish. Not far from the finish line, Sifan even appeared to stumble as Tigst sought to deny her a chance to over-take on the inside and in doing so, almost crashed the Dutch athlete into the barricades. Sifan however stayed unrattled and forged ahead; she covered the 42 kilometre-distance in 2:22:55, a new Olympic record (the previous Olympic record of 2:23:07 held by Ethiopia’s Tiki Gelana was set in 2012). Tigst Assefa finished in 2:22:58 and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri in 2:23:10. With this victory, Sifan became the first woman to have won gold medals in the 5000m, 10,000m and the marathon. Not to mention – she has cemented her place as one of the all-time greats of women’s middle distance and long distance running with a repertoire of top-notch performances spanning 1500m to the 42 km-marathon. With marathon specialists around, Sifan’s greatness in that discipline may continue to be debated. What’s beyond dispute and totally deserving our admiration is the range of distances she is good at. One couldn’t immediately recall a matching name on the men’s side claiming similar breadth of competition and excellence.

(The author, Shyam G Menon, is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai)