It might lack the tag of an official race, but that is not likely to have an impact on the fun factor as Bangalore gets its first taste of long-distance running in the night with the Midnight Marathon on Saturday. The novelty of running a full marathon at night, with all its challenges, is expected to bring in the numbers, even though it might not touch the figures witnessed during the first two Bangalore International Marathons run during the day.
Putting fun into running has been one of the ideas behind the midnight race and the organisers, Crossover Sports and Rotary Bangalore IT Corridor, have promised an evening of entertainment that will stretch well past midnight.
“There will be folk artists, musicians and fire eaters along the well-lit route, ensuring that you don’t have a boring and lonely race,” M Darshan of Crossover said.

Celebrities lined up
The races will begin with the IT City run of 5.4 km at 6.30 pm at the IGate Campus in the KIADB area in Whitelfield. A clutch of celebrities has lined up for the race, including former international athletes Reeth Abraham and Ashwini Nachappa, billiards ace Pankaj Advani and swimmer Shikha Tandon.
The full marathon will be flagged off at midnight followed by the half-marathon. Around 1,000 runners are expected for the 21.1 km half-marathon, while a clear picture is yet to emerge regarding the full marathon. Two runners from Ethiopia arrived on Friday, joining Mathew Kangogo, the Kenyan who landed on Thursday.
The organisers said many runners from around the country were jumping into the bandwagon, despite a directive from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI)  that strict action would be taken against officials and athletes who are affiliated and registered with AFI, if they participate or support the marathon.
The AFI had not recognised the last Bangalore International Marathon, with the organisers unwilling then to meet the federation’s demands. That didn’t deter the athletes from turning up in good numbers though, keeping the organisers optimistic of another successful event.