In the Long Run

The joint MD of Procam International on catalysing a long-distance running culture in the country, holding a marathon soon after the Mumbai terror attack of 2008, and the power of grace

- Arunjanardhan

There were about seven weeks left for the Mumbai Marathon in 2008 when the city faced a synchronized terror attack. One of the sites of the attack was the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the start and finish of the race; another was the Trident Hotel in Nariman Point, the marathon's official hospitality partner. By the time the terror siege began on 26 November, about 30,000 people had already signed up to run in January 2009, besides approximately 50 of the world's top marathoners.

In their office, barely half-a-kilometer from the Trident, Vivek and Anil Singh, brothers and partners at sports management company Procam International, the race organizer, huddled in despair. Registrations were already closed and cancellations would have crippled their dream project.

Much to their surprise and awe—Vivek, the company's joint managing director, says now, "Not one person cancelled, even though we offered free refunds. From contracted overseas athletes, no cancellations. The state, the police, the municipal corporation—all refused to bend." The race went ahead as planned, recovering from a tragic crisis into a moment of triumph. "During the Dream Run," adds Vivek, while talking about the shortest event category of under 7km, "people stopped at the Trident and sang the national anthem."

"It was just like that and it had nothing to do with us."

Procam International, however, did have a lot to do with marathons in India, catalysing a long-distance running culture in the country, especially Mumbai. What started as an ambitious—even audacious—dream with Mumbai in 2004 subsequently added on other venues. The Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM), celebrating its 20th edition on 19 January (there were no races in 2021 and 2022 owing to the pandemic), made the people of a city with broken roads, uneven pavements, dust and smoke, heat and humidity, and constricted spaces, just come out and run.