New Delhi: "Change is good", says the pooch after Hutch became Vodafone. Ditto for the Vodafone Delhi Half Marathon, which runs into its third edition 30 days from now.
At a ‘meet and greet’ session with the organisers here on Thursday, Sanjoy Mukherjee, Director of Operations, Vodafone, emphasised on the "individual effort of the marathon, an event which is not a spectator event." Perhaps a way of keeping the media men around away from friendly banter, as to how a marathon will keep its charm despite the frenzy after the cricketers’ Twenty20 World Cup win.
True, in the sense that the whole of Mumbai seems to run when the event takes place there. But the common cause of corporates galore here is "to celebrate the spirit of Delhi".
The spirit of Delhi will indeed be celebrated, as close to 30,000 'runners' have pledged their participation in the event. Also, nearly 100 Residents’ Welfare Associations across the city have jumped into the bandwagon, which marks a significant rise in numbers.
Celebrity quotient will be up as promised by earlier editions in Delhi and Mumbai. Actress Tara Sharma, who religiously participates in the Mumbai marathon, will turn up for her charity, as "charity aspect through a marathon is unique." Tara will of course be joined by Kapil Dev, Pankaj Advani, Dhanraj Pillay, actress-activist Nafisa Ali and a host of others.
Team Jindal, promoted by corporate giants Jindal Steel, has thrown the gauntlet at fellow corporates with 1992 Asian Marathon Champion Sunita Godara, who, at 48, certainly won’t be aiming at setting a record. Nirmal Mathur, the Director, said that another Sunita ‘the astronaut’ Williams has backed his team too, for her dedication to running a marathon.
Promoters Procam International were visibly proud of their baby, for "the defending champions are back, which speaks volumes about the marathon," according to Vivek Singh, Joint Managing Director, adding that "the marathon has stood the test of time."
It indeed has stood the test of time. The fan frenzy in Mumbai while welcoming the Indian cricketers was there for everyone to see. Delhi, now, will churn out its own with the Half Marathon. As the punchline says, Ab Dilli Daudegi. Don’t blame the traffic jam for a day, though.
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