Mumbai: In the pre-race press conference, the conversation among the elite Indian athletes quickly moved towards the 2026 Asian Games. Throughout the history of the Tata Mumbai Marathon – held annually on the third Sunday of the new year – it has been a competition where Indian runners look to earn qualification for global events.
However, for the latest edition that takes place on Sunday, there is no qualification spot available for the Games, to be held in Nagoya, Japan in September.
The qualifying window for the marathon, set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), begins with the national marathon championship, scheduled to take place in New Delhi on February 22.
“What we hope to do is use this race as a test to see where exactly we stand,” said Nirmaben Thakor, who was the fastest Indian woman at last year’s race. “The aim is to get the best time we possibly can over here, and then work on that before we go to Delhi.”
Earning a spot in the Indian Asian Games contingent though will be a tough task given the high standard AFI has set. For men, the qualifying standard is 2:15:04 while the time set for women is 2:31:52. OP Jaisha’s record for women is 2:34:43, set in 2015, which means that mark will have to be broken to qualify.
These standards are much faster than what any Indian has ever clocked in Mumbai. The course record in Mumbai among Indian runners is 2:15:48 for men (set by Nitendra Singh Rawat in 2016) and 2:34:55 for women (Sudha Singh in 2019). Thakor’s personal best is 2:47:11, while the 2025 Indian men’s winner Anish Thapa’s best timing is 2:16:41.
Thapa, though, asserted that the qualification marks have given runners a time to chase. He has altered his training regimen at his base in Ooty to prepare for Sunday’s race.
“We know it gets hot here, so we wait till the afternoon to start our training in the sun,” he said. “The hills of Ooty also have inclines which helps us prepare for what we will get in Mumbai.”
A flat route is ideal for fast timings, while inclines can slow down the runner and lead to the faster onset of fatigue.
The Mumbai course has uphill stretches in the Kemp’s Corner-Pedder Road stretch. This year though, there are extra inclines as the route moves on to the coastal road, which will also expose runners to a strong headwind and the sun.
Despite the tough conditions, the runners are looking forward to testing themselves before the all-important qualification race next month.
