MUMBAI: The countdown to the 2019 edition of the IAAF Gold Label Tata Mumbai Marathon has begun with the organisers launching it on 9 January. With a unique theme of ‘#BeBetter’ the marathon will take place on 20 January in Mumbai. The organisers announced that over 46,000 runners will be taking the roads of Mumbai for the marathon. The marathon is going to be a zero-waste event.
The marathon has also found three new sponsors for this year’s event including GoDaddy as domains and online presence partner and Nature Valley as recharge partner along with Oakley as performance eyewear partner.
From Nature Valley, General Mills managing director India and South East Asia Salil Murthy shared his thoughts on the partnership saying, “It makes a lot of sense for us to partner with Tata Mumbai Marathon because what the marathon stands for and what our brand Nature Valley stands for is basically the same. We want people to be more active. We (Nature Valley) are doing it in the US, where we are promoting hiking amongst the people, in the UK there is tennis, and in India, we are hoping to make people run more.”
He went on to add, “Nature Valley has products like granola bars that are ‘delicious real recharge’. When you run a marathon you need that pick me up after a certain point of time as the distance is much longer. We hope to provide that recharge to the runners so they can reach the finish line.”
Oakley head-sports marketing (India) Ashwin Krishnan, who is also prepping for some big launches in India in the coming months, reflected the same sentiments, “We need to go back to what Oakley stand for. We started with making grips for bicycles handles that specialised in tightening the grip as the hands sweated then we made sunglasses based on the inputs we took from several international athletes that are capable of colour differentiation and improving depth perception, etc. So basically, we aim to improve the performance of the athletes on the ground, be it while playing cricket or golf, or while running the marathon. Partnering with Tata Mumbai Marathon is in tandem with that goal of ours.”
Speaking about the marathon Tata Sons group chief communications officer Pradipta Bagchi said, “The Tata Mumbai Marathon is the city’s way of celebrating achievement, perseverance, and commitment. The increasing participation from not just Mumbaikars in the Tata Mumbai Marathon, but from runners across the country and globe is a testament to the success of this IAAF Gold event in bringing together over 46,000 runners on one common platform every year in this city.”
He further added, “Tata Mumbai Marathon inspires everybody to #BeBetter and is a great opportunity to engage with the community, connect with youngsters and create awareness about the importance of good health.”
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) vice president and country head – India business Ujjwal Mathur said, “This year has been momentous for Tata Sons, who celebrated at 150 years. And we at TCS celebrate 50 years of excellence. Like in the previous years, this year too we will have a large contingent of TCSers from across various geographies taking part in the Tata Mumbai Marathon. We will continue to raise funds for charity and create social awareness for health and fitness in the city. In the true sense, we will root for the spirit of Mumbai!”
