Missed registering in time? Not to worry, lets take a look at what alternatives you have got now which can make up for your lost cause. Mumbai marathon registrations opened on July 9th, and though they were supposed to continue till Aug 18th, but the number of running places available ran out fast, leaving a lot of runners high and dry. In fact, the entire registration process lasted just over two weeks to fill the quota of runners for the all the 3 key events, the Marathon, Half marathon and the 6KM Dream run. The quota for the 2010 event was as folllows:
- Marathon 3,000
- Half Marathon 11,000
So, in case you are one of the unlucky ones, here are some of the options left for you to try.
- Run using BIB number of someone else, who might have registered in time, but later decides to skip the event. This is actually not acceptable to the organizers, but if you are desperate, and do not mind seeing someone else’s name in the result sheet with your timings, go ahead at your own risk (and don’t say I told you). How to find runners who may be willing to withdraw? Check out some of the online discussion forums for various running groups in India.
- For runners from the Indian subcontinent, there are a couple of marathons to explore further if you want to run an international quality marathon around the same time.
Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon – Dec 6th, 2009
Registrations are open (Jul 16th – Oct 7th). Register here.Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon – Jan 22nd, 2010
Registrations are open (till Dec 31st). Register here.Both of the above events are very well organized events, very doable for folks here in India. Good connectivity too with various flight options, including the low cost carrier Tiger Airways which operates flights from Bangalore and Chennai for Singapore.
Both Dubai and Singapore marathons have a multi-phase registration process, where the registrations are kept open for a long time, in which the registration amount goes up in phases, so people have the option to register even late, though at a higher price. I think Mumbai should also introduce a similar system which can give opportunity to people to register for an extended period of time.
- If you do not want to run outside India, and want to try out some marathons in India, which though may not be organized at the same standards as Mumbai, Dubai, or Singapore marathons, but are great events by themselves, at a smaller scale and well organized, take a look at the India Marathon Calendar below. There are some great runs which you might just like.
