Mumbai Marathon route to remain same for elites; more than 59,000 to participate

Mumbai: The route for the elite runners in the 2024 edition of the Mumbai Marathon will remain the same while some changes have been made for the 10K race and the half marathon to be held here on January 21.

More than 59,000 participants will take part in the race which will once again be held on the third Sunday of the month of January, involving more than 7,000 volunteers.

"The city is changing so fast, even the courses between then and now. We've managed to keep the event along the structure that we have stuck to for a good number of years now," said race director Hugh Jones at the event's technical press conference at the Mumbai Press Club on Wednesday.

"Be it police or security, everyone is very responsive when they hear the words Mumbai Marathon. They're aware that the show is coming. There's not many changes but they are significant in terms of the look of the field," Jones added.

Jones said the route for the half marathon race will have some changes, technically avoiding some u-turns right at the start of the track to give the runners a straight run.

"It's a shame that the road surface is very caught up but we've paid attention to the traditional highlights of Marine Drive," he said.

"The course has less twists and turns as compared to last year, making it a fairly straight run onto the sea link, only when you hit land it becomes a little bit more complicated," Jones added.

While the marathon for amateurs will start at 5:00am from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), the half marathon and Police Cup will kick off at the same time from the Mahim Causeway.

The marathon for the elites will start at 7:20am from CSMT, while the Open 10K will be at 6:00am. The other races in the event — each starting from CSMT — are Champions with Disability (1.3km from 7:22am), Senior Citizens' Run (4.2km from 7:35am) and Dream Run (5.9km from 8:00am).

The Western Railways (suburban) will be running special trains on the race day while the Central Railways are likely to make their announcement soon.