When the fourth edition of the Bengaluru marathon gets underway on Sunday, the organisers will once again have their fingers crossed as thousands of running enthusiasts will hit the roads hoping to make the most of the opportunity.
After the initial two years saw them deal with issues varying from traffic, rude onlookers and bad lighting, the third edition last year went smoothly without any glaring glitch. And if one thought, with a major change to the course, this year could be easier, then the persistent downpour over the past week has made life difficult for the people behind this road race. "This (rain) was something unexpected. But we are trying are best to get the course ready for tomorrow," the race director Nagaraj Adiga said on the eve of the race.
"We have 4-5 teams busy pumping the water out fromwater logged areas, chopping of branches, cleaning the course and so on. Even if it rains tonight we can get the course ready by the time of the race. But if rains during the race, we can't do much," he added.
The heavy downpour has also forced the organisers to alter the course once again. On Sunday, the full marathon and the half marathon, on cubbon road, will head up to the Manipal centre to take a U-turn and will skip the lap inside the Parade ground. "We had a look at the Parade ground and it can't be used. We had to come up with an alternative and this was the best we could," event ambassador and former Indian athlete Reeth Abraham said.
"To make up for the distance we have extended the Cubbon road stretch till Manipal Centre and the rest will be made up for inside the Cubbon park," the Arjuna awardee added. The problems don't stop at the organisational front. The elite running field looks like a depleted one with most of the top runners from the country giving the event a miss. While the men's section in both the full and the half marathon lack edge, in the women's half two-time defending champion could enjoy a stroll in the park and still end up winning the race. "I am not bothered about the field. I am looking at what I can clock, hopefully two hours and 50 minutes," said Jyothi on the eve of the race.