After all the media attention focussed around Milind Soman and his first attempt at the 42K at Mumbai, it was quite natural to be inquisitive about what really happened, how did his run go, and whether he was able to achieve his target time (if there was any). So, after a bit of googling, I was able to really find out the details.
Milind is a great fitness enthusiast, and a regular runner. Doing a 10K almost daily is no big deal for him. He has an amazing PR of 1:39 at the Mumbai Half marathon. My guess before the run for Milind was a finishing time of sub 4-hours, which looked reasonable given his 21K time. However, Milind was able to do the 42K in 4:47, which definitely looks some way off from the expectations. So what really happened? The TOI article titled “Milind Soman fights cramps” says it all:
… Due to the heat and dehydration, a mild cramp started in the left calf muscle at Mahim, and a stronger bout assailed him at Worli. He was cramping in both legs at Girgaum Chowpatty, a good 5 km from the finish, and unable to stay upright, he fell on the barrier. Two women runners rushed to help, applying analgesic cream to his legs. They urged him not to give up. Soman says it was due to them he went on. “I was on course for my 3:45 target but ended on 4:53,” he says
Well, actually Milind did a 4:47, so I wonder why it is written as 4:53 above. So, not bad for his first attempt, and I am sure with this experience, he will improve if he does attempt this again. Surely, Milind is the biggest and most probably the most popular celebrity in India who can claim to run a marathon, and that alone speaks a lot about him.
His intermediate time stats from the run:
- 14km: 1:15:49 (5.35 mins/km pace)
- 23.2km: 2:09:43 (5.56 mins/km pace)
- 32.5km: 3:12:08 (5.90 mins/km pace)
- 42.2km: 4:47:44 (6.80 mins/km pace)
So, his last 10 kilometers were done at a pace of 9.79 min/km pace, and that tells the story of what really happened.