Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Umesh Kumar Dash on January 21, 2012 at 23:17

1. Immediately after completing the race, when you were exhausted fullest there was no water or sports drink available to help relief. you were required to stand in a queue for half an hour with your tired body to go inside Azad Maidan to have your drinks or get your medal. This is the most cruel part in the management.

2. Last 10 km of FM, there was neither any availability of energy drinks nor analgesic spray, which were required most at that time.

3. Tho event photo site marathon-photo.com doesn't have the photo of many runners including me (Bib no 338). Probably this kind of miss management happened first time in the history of Mumbai Marathon.

4. there is requrement of sitting arrangement inside azad maidan for resting .

5. Nobody except people having bibs were allowed inside azad maidan, but surprisingly beggers were moving freely inside.

6. So many bootle necks on the road should  be looked after

7. Three cheers for the people of Mumbai, who relentlessly cheered for all the runners...Hats off to Mumbaiker

Permalink Reply by Giles Drego on February 4, 2012 at 11:58

Hi Parth,

You didn't say if you ran the Half or Full, though that doesn't matter.  But I do agree with you that this was the Worst Managed marathon in terms of organizing. 

Every year,  since its inception, the Marathon route has been changed.  9 years down the line and nothing has improved, on the contrary it has only gotten worse.

Last year there was confusion on Worli Seaface. This year the Walking Half Marathoners clogged and blocked the Full Marathoners right from Babulnath Temple; the Bottle Neck was truly horrible all the way to the finish.  Many FMs had to weave through. At the Finish there was utter chaos.

There was no Gateorade Sports Drink anywhere (saw it only at one water stop). 

It's time the organizers really pulled up their socks and seriously looked after the runners rather than pay attention and fawn over celebrity stars who can't run.

Regards,

Giles

Parth Badheka said:

This was the 'WORST MANAGED' Marathons I have ever been part of. I have been to small town Marathons like Thane and few others across India. Never ever expected SCMM to be so bad. It is supposed to be a 'Gold Label' and set the trend for other Marathons to emulate. I list out my issues as below.

1. Route Changes ensured a Horrid Bottle Neck for Half Marathoners, I know few others who ran the HM who also believed that their timing was off by 5-10 mins , as most of the time was spent dodging people due to bottle neck. 
2. Complete Lack of Energy Drinks, I think it would have been better to be charged 100 odd Rs more, if SCMM was under so much Duress, that they couldnt give energy drinks to one and all, There were few small counters with Enerzal , where people were finding boxes which had them and giving them with straws, Whats Next Shall i expect a Blue Lagoon with a straw to sip it? It wasted a lot of time. In general Lack of Energy drinks especially the issues regarding nonavailability of them was an issue , HM was ok but what about the Full , Most drink counters were around Finish which had pidly non serious races, Exposed parts like Worli Sea Link , Sea Face were not factored in. They should take the example of Goa, where inspite of a low key and no major sponsors they ensured that there was energy drinks in glasses ready .Wide Glasses are not the Best Idea as one cant drink on the go but something is better than nothing.
3. Other repeated problem was the 'Most Tiring' Part of the Race the enormous crowding for Medals. SCMM seems to think they are doing us an obligation by handing out Medals and as a insult to injury giving a cool bottle of gatorade at the end rather than when its least required. From the start of the queue to Sterling Exit took me more than 45 mins.
4.  The other Problem is Goodie bags , I dont know how can a Mumbai Marathon Bag be poorer than Goa Marathon, which didnt even have a main sponsor. It was 2 kgs of Pills and nothing else. Its better to not give a goodie bag rather than give a list of 'promotional packs' which are gleefully claimed as tax free for the companies and load people with products that will definitely go waste. Nothing running related. 
5. The Good part was that Expo-Centre was very well organised, may be they changed Event Organisers for the Receiving Centre. 

 Totally dissapointed with the Mumbai Marathon which I have always prided as the Most amazingly organised Marathon inspite the HUGE Crowds, huge turn off to many that participate, which SCMM bothers only about Elite Athletes and later about Elite Bollywood Stars who only claim to run a HM on treadmill. Without people there wont be a MM, the prefix SC is only consequential. 

All said an done,, Kudos to all my Fellow Participate, Keep Running!!!!

Regards

Parth

Permalink Reply by Giles Drego on February 4, 2012 at 12:15

Hi Umesh,

Yes, there was No Water or Sports Drink at the Finish.  Except for that Gato bottle we got after waiting in a queue for 45 dreadful minutes.

And talking about many of the runners' photos not being clicked by the event photo site marathon-photo.com; well that was So Bad as to not have a single photo taken of the Winner of the Men's Open event.  Imagine, not a single photo of  the Winner in action was taken.  That's sad. Very sad.

Yes, i did notice too; the beggers had free access to azad maidan and most were begging for that 1 bottle of gateorade we got.

Regards,

Giles

Umesh Kumar Dash said:

1. Immediately after completing the race, when you were exhausted fullest there was no water or sports drink available to help relief. you were required to stand in a queue for half an hour with your tired body to go inside Azad Maidan to have your drinks or get your medal. This is the most cruel part in the management.

2. Last 10 km of FM, there was neither any availability of energy drinks nor analgesic spray, which were required most at that time.

3. Tho event photo site marathon-photo.com doesn't have the photo of many runners including me (Bib no 338). Probably this kind of miss management happened first time in the history of Mumbai Marathon.

4. there is requrement of sitting arrangement inside azad maidan for resting .

5. Nobody except people having bibs were allowed inside azad maidan, but surprisingly beggers were moving freely inside.

6. So many bootle necks on the road should  be looked after

7. Three cheers for the people of Mumbai, who relentlessly cheered for all the runners...Hats off to Mumbaiker

Permalink Reply by Umesh Kumar Dash on February 4, 2012 at 21:07

Dear Giles,

Thanks for apreciationg my concern on the race day. Few more I have explained  including health related issues In my blog also in the runners for life web site "
Life has come to full circle from Mumbai Marathon 2011 to 2012" . your valuable comments on this is most welcome. Regards. Umesh
Giles Drego said:

Hi Umesh,

Yes, there was No Water or Sports Drink at the Finish.  Except for that Gato bottle we got after waiting in a queue for 45 dreadful minutes.

And talking about many of the runners' photos not being clicked by the event photo site marathon-photo.com; well that was So Bad as to not have a single photo taken of the Winner of the Men's Open event.  Imagine, not a single photo of  the Winner in action was taken.  That's sad. Very sad.

Yes, i did notice too; the beggers had free access to azad maidan and most were begging for that 1 bottle of gateorade we got.

Regards,

Giles

Umesh Kumar Dash said:

1. Immediately after completing the race, when you were exhausted fullest there was no water or sports drink available to help relief. you were required to stand in a queue for half an hour with your tired body to go inside Azad Maidan to have your drinks or get your medal. This is the most cruel part in the management.

2. Last 10 km of FM, there was neither any availability of energy drinks nor analgesic spray, which were required most at that time.

3. Tho event photo site marathon-photo.com doesn't have the photo of many runners including me (Bib no 338). Probably this kind of miss management happened first time in the history of Mumbai Marathon.

4. there is requrement of sitting arrangement inside azad maidan for resting .

5. Nobody except people having bibs were allowed inside azad maidan, but surprisingly beggers were moving freely inside.

6. So many bootle necks on the road should  be looked after

7. Three cheers for the people of Mumbai, who relentlessly cheered for all the runners...Hats off to Mumbaiker

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