The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon owes its elite positioning in the world of distance running to a slew of factors that have evolved and improved over the years, giving the elite athlete field and each and every participant a unique running experience.
World class elite athlete fields, super fast timings on a challenging course, association with the leading experts and professionals from around the globe, prize money that compares with the best and biggest in the world, world class facilities have all contributed to rank the event among the few Gold Label marathons in the world.
It can be stated now with pride that the event has come of age even as a platform for raising money for Charity. This huge response to the charity drive has played a significant role in placing this event on the pedestal it deserves to be on Right from the inaugural edition, in 2004, the event advocated the cause of charity, providing a platform for NGOs, corporates and individuals to come together and raise money for causes of their choice. The results, then, were encouraging enough to predict that in the very near future this event would also rank among the top internationally acclaimed marathons that raise sizeable amounts of money for charity.
That time has come in a relatively short span of nine years, with the ninth edition of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon's charity collections literally going through the roof. Spearheaded by United Way of Mumbai, the official charity partner of the event, the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2012 motivated a cross section of the city's citizenry, young and old, from all walks of life, to come together and generate a whopping Rs 16.07 crore in charity for causes of their choice. This figure is an increase of almost Rs 4 crore over the Rs 12.16 crore generated in 2011 and will benefit 197 NGOs as compared to 131 last year.
This response to the charity drive has surpassed the collection of all previous editions, reaffirming that the city of Mumbai and Mumbaikars have a strong social conscience.
While the spiraling effect of the legacy that the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon leaves behind through charity is immense, in monetary terms it works out to a staggering Rs 71 crore over nine years.
The charity figures were announced by Dr. Indu Shahani, Honourable Sherriff and Chairperson, United Way of Mumbai at a special function held to felicitate the fund raisers at the Trident, Nariman Point on Tuesday. Also in attendance were senior Ministers from the Government of Maharashtra and officials from the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.
In attendance also was Sumeet Singla, Regional Head Corporate Affairs, India & South Asia, Standard Chartered, the title sponsor and Y S Bilkha, Head Corporate Events, Tata Consultancy Services, the associate sponsor, besides representatives of the various partners to the event.
"The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2012 has seen many firsts to its credit. What has been particularly overwhelming is the significant increase in the number of causes that the people of Mumbai have come forward to support with a focus on causes related to children. Rs. 16.07 crore being raised for charity through a single event truly reflects the spirit of the city of Mumbai. We are very proud to be associated with an event of this scale and magnitude," said Sumeet Singla, Regional Head Corporate Affairs, India & South Asia, Standard Chartered.
"Every year TCS has had one of the largest contingents which include employees, families and partners actively participating in Mumbai marathon to support the charities and motivate thousands of runners. As a company we are always committed to giving back to the communities in which we operate in. Over the years Mumbai Marathon has gone on to become an extraordinary platform to raise funds for a greater cause and we are delighted to have collaborated in such an magnificent event," said N. Chandrasekaran, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Tata Consultancy Services.
"The marathon is all about the passion and compassion of Mumbai…it brings out the best in all the people and is a great support for charities," said Dr. Indu Shahani, Chairperson, United Way of Mumbai.
Of the total funds raised for charity, Rs. 15.13 crore was raised in clearly tracked funds through United Way of Mumbai, the official charity partner for the event, while an estimated amount of Rs 75 lakh was raised directly by NGOs through the event.
As many as 197 NGOs will benefit monetarily from this charity drive associated with the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2012, with Shrimad Rajchandra Love & Care emerging the highest pledge raising NGO for the second year running, having generated a staggering Rs 96.92 lakh. Paragon Charitable Trust (Muktangan) was a close second, generating Rs 95.55 lakh, while Concern India Foundation was the third highest, raising 67.34 lakh.
Underscoring the fact that the values associated with the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon appeal to all age groups, were five Dream Makers below the age of 18, many couples and families coming together to raise significant amounts for charity.
Fourteen-year-old Meera Mehta emerged the youngest Dream Maker, raising Rs 1.53 lakh for Shrimad Rajchandra Love & Care. Among the other young Dream Makers were Gaurangi Desai (15 years; Rs 2.60 lakh) Naomi Nigam (18 years; Rs 1.34 lakh), Sumer Parikh (16 years; Rs 1.46 lakh) and Nishka Choraria (16 years; Rs 11.27 lakh).
The Corporate Challenge had 223 teams running from across 154 participating companies, a substantial increase from the 198 teams last year, representing 134 companies. This category helped raise in excess of Rs 7.20 crore, amounting to a major chunk of the total funds generated. The highest pledge raising corporate was Antwerp Diamond Bank NV, generating Rs. 23.72 lakh for Tata Memorial Centre (RuHI), while KPMG raised Rs 21 lakh for Epilepsy Foundation, Mumbai Mobile Creches, SoS Children's Village of India and Salaam Bombay Foundation.
The 11 Dream Champions raised a total of Rs 1.56 crore, with Mihir Doshi raising the maximum amount of Rs 29.64 lakh for Save The Children India and Childline India Foundation. Dream Champion Dr. Bijal Mehta raised Rs 18 lakh, for Srimad Rajchandra Love and Care and emerged the Highest Fund Raiser among Women.
The Dream Wizards and Dream Makers, among them, accounted for little over Rs 1.52 crore, while the We Care runners generated Rs 4.83 crore.
"The Marathon is an incredible sporting platform with a huge social dimension. It has quickly become the country's largest charity generator and the driving force for a healthier and fitter India," said Anil Singh, Managing Director of Procam International, the promoters of the event.
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