Kochi hosted its maiden Half Marathon on December 29, 2013.
The
experience from the mini-marathon conducted in 2011 helped make this a
hugely successful event for the city and its people. Runners in general,
were somewhat skeptical about Cochin International Half Marathon 2013
due to a number of factors, chief among them being the event was
organized by the city as opposed to a runners group - the local runners
figured it would be used to showcase politicians and celebrities as
opposed to promoting running as a lifestyle change for the general
public. The city silenced all its critics by pulling off a highly
professional event - most parts were outsourced to the best
organizations available and that probably helped.
Having participated in the half marathon event, below are some observations:
Good:
- Entry on the Marathon Day: The main-gate to Maharajah's
ground was opened only slightly for some weird reason. This resulted in a
stampede atmosphere in the adjacent street (Hospital Road) and the main
entrance area. Policemen manned the area and the gates and they
continued to keep the gates half closed despite the mad-rush of the
participants to get inside.
This
was the one real red-flag in the entire event. Once past the
half-opened gates, the race categories as well as the age-category pens
were marked well that getting to the correct slot was not a problem.
Also, it was heart-warming to see dignitaries such as Rishi Raj Singh
waiting in the pen just like the others for the start - no special
treatment at all and there were a bunch of folks from the transportation
department with him (Rishi Raj Singh finished the race in 2:52 (bib number 7144)
- unfortunately, an emergency angioplasty was done soon after following
chest pain). The presence of the 2000-strong navy crew across the
half-marathon and 7K events was a wonderful sight. They encouraged the
runners too during the race!
- Warm-up Drills: A professional warm-up crew was on the stage
from around 5:15AM to 6:15AM and they kept the runners entertained. The
warm-up drills were hard to follow as the category-pens were crowded.
Not a surprise, given the participation of over 8000 people.
- Water, Sponge, Electrolytes, Refreshments, Goodies, Medical Support, and Restrooms: Water
was plentiful throughout the course. It was distributed roughly at the
rate of one per kilometer. Water-sponges and electrolytes were
distributed only twice. Medical support was not a problem as they had
temporary facilities both at the start-point and at a few locations on
the course. Green Kochi initiative however took a back-seat during the
event - plastic bottles and no proper disposal areas. Goodies were
missing too - the bib-packet consisted of just the bib, timing chip, and
safety pins - an option to purchase a marathon themed T-shirt would
have been good. Refreshments at the end of the event consisted of a bun
and juice but they ran out of them half way through the event - there
was no verification at all in the medals and refreshments
distribution-area and that probably contributed to the problem. Alas, no
restroom facility either.
Better:
- Registration: Registration opened just six weeks before the
race day. Online registration was the best option as it was very smooth.
The option to register manually through Muthoot branches
was less than perfect as many ended up waiting a long time during bib
collection - some manual verification of proper registration was
involved, thus delaying the process.
- Bib Delivery Process: The bib collection center at
Maharajah's ground was open on the 26th, 27th or 28th. Participants had
to show ID proof in original and registration confirmation email.
Starting trouble was there on the first day and those who arrived first
to collect the bib had to wait upwards of 30-minutes. From then on, the
process went relatively smooth.
- Marathon Route, Start-times, Cheer-leading, etc: The marathon
route was completely flat except for the short climbs to cross the two
bridges from Ernakulam to Mattanchery through Wellington Island.
Although the route itself did not go through any of the touristy areas,
the heritage nature of the place was easy for anyone to recognize. The
start-times for the races were announced somewhat late. Organizers
officially announced 6:15AM as the start time for the half-marathon and
6:45AM for the 7K fun-run just a week prior to the event - apparently,
there was pressure to make it a late start to make it convenient for
celebrities and other dignitaries but sanity won-out in the end. The
organizers had plans for a parallel competition for the cheer-leading
crews that could independently register but apparently there were few
takers. Good 'chendamelam' and such were there in the Mattanchery area
and though the rest of the course lacked group events the locals that
flagged on either-side of the entire route more than compensated for
this by their enthusiastic response.
Best:
- Participation Fee: The organizers managed to keep the entry
fee extremely low compared to other well-known marathons in the country -
the entry fee for the half-marathon was Rs 200 and for the 7K fun-run
was Rs 100. This is compared to an average of well over Rs 1000 for
other international marathons in India. Not only that, subsidized
registrations were offered to under-privileged groups.
- Prize Money: For a maiden effort, the overall prize money at
over Rs 25L was comparable to the prize monies offered by the best
races in the country. The age-wise and gender-wise categorization with
separate prize monies for Indians ensured the race gave something to
celebrate for the locals, even-though their best efforts may not equal
the best in the world. Further, equal prize money for men and women was
another positive factor. Although, the winners check of $5K was low
compared to international standards, the event still attracted some of
the best athletes ranked within the top ten in the world.
- Course Logistics: The marathon route was in pristine
condition on the day of the marathon. Runners especially appreciated the
lack of potholes and traffic on the course. Also, the timing chip
transfixed on the body-side of the bib and the timing mats functioned
well - the mat locations were easy for the runners to recognize as well.
Within two hours of the run, the official results became available online.
The finish-point was well-organized although the area became very
crowded over time. The open and elite winners were announced at the main
stage but some of the other category winners did not get to stand on
the podium following some confusion about the official timings
Related Posts:
- Two international marathon events in the same year (2014) in Kochi - Experience - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
Last Updated: 12/2014.
