Tata Mumbai Marathon 2026

Life update:

• 2x Marathoner
• 1x Procam Finisher

I have only one word to describe the race - BRUTAL. Not only did I miss my goal time by almost half an hour, but I also finished 20 minutes slower than my first marathon.

Prologue (First 21km)

How far we have come, that I am calling an entire half marathon section just a prologue! But indeed it was just the beginning with fresh legs, mind, and body. I had hoped to finish between 4:20 and 4:30 hours, so I started a bit fast while following the Garmin PacePro plan. I took some slower strides during the coastal road and the first section of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, but most of the other parts were pretty fast, considering it was just my second marathon. It felt so good running through the queen's necklace, the very same road where I had practiced for the past three weeks. The crowd and the support were awesome. Really loved it. The Kemps Corner Flyover and the Pedder Road didn't feel that bad, as the mind, body, and legs were still sane, and I could take it slow.

The coastal road started with a circular incline going upward. At one glance, I could see people coming from the Haji Ali signal and going toward the Sea Link from the coastal road. It was something that could only be stored in the eyes and not explained in words. I didn't realize when the coastal road ended and the sea link started. The sound of the waves crashing on the pillars of the sea link is another thing that could only be experienced by the ears and not put into words. The humid wind coming from beside reminded me of Murakami's paragraph about the breeze from Miami's beach. I paced myself a bit in the last segment of the sea link, and by the time I arrived at the main road, it was the 22km mark.

Kilometres Before Hell (22-29km)

From Mahim to Worli, it was my home ground route. I have run here at least a dozen times in 2025. I knew each pothole, public washroom, and shop where I could buy something to eat or drink. I tried increasing my pace, but struggled as I had to constantly change lanes and overtake other runners. I decided to reduce overtaking while maintaining a slightly faster pace. The Shivaji Park to Siddhivinayak stretch was so energetic. It was good to see OG Mumbaikar citizens coming to cheer us. They offered fruits, water, chocolates, and warm hugs while showering us with water sprays and moral support.

At 30km, I reached the Coastal Road promenade. Here as well, the crowd support was unprecedented. People had brought things to eat and drink from their houses, which was soooo gooodddddd. I had Tang and some oranges. After the 30km mark, the second round of the coastal road began, and things started going downhill (Or shall I say, uphill?)

Oh, The Hell! (30-34km)

The entire coastal road section was rough. Slow and steady ascent. Direct sunlight. No crowd support. Everyone else was also tired and walking. The inner voices were taking over the mind. At one point, I hit a wall and simply started walking. I just couldn't make myself step forward at all. I hit the wall. I called a friend, who didn't pick up. I called another friend, Shubham, with whom I started this race and ran almost 16km. We lost each other's contact at the last segment of the sea link. He jogged as I kept walking, and we met again at the middle of the Coastal Road. From that point toward the Haji Ali signal, we paced each other, mixing jogs and walks. As I heard the roars of Pedder Road on the horizon of Lala Lajpatrai Road, I slowed down to have the gel, and that's where I lost track of Shubham, never to pace with him again in the entire race.

The Pedder Road (35-38km)

Back in college, I studied for 10 days straight for the compiler design subject as it was difficult for me. I ended up scoring better grades than in other difficult subjects. The same happened with Pedder Road. By this time, I realized there was no point in running hard as I wouldn't be able to finish within my goal time anyway. I took it lightly. I jogged, stopped, sprinted (for 50m), high-fived others, cheered, screamed, bought Red Bull, and enjoyed it entirely. I ran there every weekend for the last three weeks, but yesterday it was totally different. Like the bride getting ready for muh-dikhai. The crowd support was simply fantastic. I truly felt the Spirit of Mumbai in those two kilometres. Ironically, every time I trained on Pedder Road, I tried to run faster than the last time, only to jog it out and live in the moment during the D-Day.

Why Do I Run? (39-42.76km)

Despite having a relaxed pace at Pedder Road, as soon as I descended from the Kemp's Corner Flyover, I hit a wall for the second time as I arrived at Girgaon Chowpatty. "Even if you play Langdi (hopscotch, like a kids' game) from now onward, you'll finish it within time," the mind screamed at me. The sun was rising from behind the buildings of Girgaon. I increased my pace only to start walking after a few hundred meters. Why do I even run? I kept asking myself. I don't ever get runner's high. I don't have to prove anything to anyone. I have other things in my life that I should prioritize more at this age. What started as a reason to lose belly fat slowly turned into a way to cope with reality and calm my inner voices. And I stopped watching films, going on treks, playing video games, meeting friends, along with many other things, for THIS? To run? Something we are evolutionarily better at?

And somewhere between Chowpatty and Pizza By The Bay, the hot breeze passed over my body, while the waves hummed Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, I remembered…

I run to prove to myself I can just do things.

I run to prove to meself that I can put my best efforts into something AND have my desired results.

I run to make my shattered heart so strong that next time only I meself can break it.

I run to have the discipline, the resilience, the clarity, the fit body that I never had in my 23 years of life.

I run because I am really good at it.

At 4:57:49hrs, I became a 2x marathoner (in 40days!) and a 1x Procam finisher.

It’s time to run again. This time, rather than running away from the responsibilities, I will run toward them. Hence, taking a break from running + strength training for the next couple of months.

Until then, keep the cadence 🚀