Rio Olympics-bound Asian Games women medalists O P Jaisha, Lalita Babar and Sudha Singh, along with another top distance runner Kavita Raut, are all set to run the full distance at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon on January 17.
Jaisha, last year's top Indian finisher with a national record to boot on her maiden attempt at the marathon, and 2010 Asiad steeplechase champion Sudha are going to test their mettle in an event in which they have qualified for the Rio Games.
Lalita, who has qualified for the Rio Games in 3,000m steeplechase by setting a new national record of 9:27.86 at the World Championships in Beijing late last year, is also taking part in the marathon, according to race organisers Procam International.
Lalita has been the top finisher among Indian women in the same event three times in the past.
Kavita, medal winner in the 10,000m at the 2010 Commonwealth and Asian Games events and the national record holder in the half marathon, is to compete in the full marathon for the first time, according to the organisers.
Nitendra Singh Rawat, who qualified for the Rio Games by clocking 2:18:06 to finish eighth in the World Military Games marathon in Korea in October last, would be aiming to come out trumps among Indian men runners in the full marathon.
Rawat is hoping to break the current course record of 2:16:59 set by Ram Singh Yadav in 2012.
He's expected to face a stiff fight from the likes of Arjun Pradhan, second among Indian men runners last year, Gopi T, who placed second at the Delhi half marathon in 2015, Vasai-Virar marathon winner Kheta Ram and another top services distance runner, Elam Singh.
In the half marathon category, Indrajeet Patel is to attempt a hat-trick of men's titles and is expected to face a good challenge from Soji Mathew.
The women athletes to watch out for in the half marathon are Kiran Sahdev, Supriya Patil and Monika Athare, second place finisher at the Delhi half marathon in 2014.
Tony Daniel, the technical committee chairman of the
Athletics Federation of India, is the technical delegate to oversee the race while Hugh Jones is the race director.
"There's a slight change in the half marathon not the route but in the order of its various points. The race will commence at 0540 hours instead of 6 as was the case last year and will commence at the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link instead of Bandra," Jones told a press conference today.
The organisers are hoping that the slow runners taking part in events other than the competitive ones don't interfere the main runners on the Marine Drive stretch.
Jones, however, said he will not be able to say whether any new course record will be set as he did not know the current form of the runners.
"Mumbai marathon is not the easiest of marathons as there are two 'hills' - at the 9-km mark (on the outward stretch) and at the 36-km mark (on the return stretch). These will test the character of the runners. It's not a totally flat and surface as is the case in Dubai," he explained.
The total prize money for the elite runners is USD 3,77,000 with the winners and runners-up in both men and women's full marathon taking home USD 41,000 and 21,000 each respectively.
The total prize fund has been increased by USD 17,000. The tenth placer will be richer by USD 1,500. The top finishers among the Indians will take home Rs 5 lakh each while the second placed runners would receive Rs 4 lakh each.
Cash prices will trickle down to the tenth place who will become richer by Rs 10,000.
