I just watched Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon.
The main marathon of 42.195 kilometers was won by an African participant, a regular. It was captured by a lot of cameras following or leading him.
But, at the same time, many other marathons were run and won, which may have gone unnoticed, because no camera was covering them. But still, the races were won. Triumphantly. Gloriously. Proudly. Silently.
For a physically challenged girl on a wheelchair, riding a few kilometers freely on a Mumbai road, was a personal race won.
For an 80 year old grandmother, walking a few kilometers with a group of similar age friends was more than a victory.
For a senior citizen who had just undergone a bypass surgery before few months, completing a dream run of few kilometers was a real dream come true.
For an HR manager of a company, successfully organizing a group participation of 70 employees in the dream run was a proud moment in her career as a new recruit in the company.
For a product manager who organized free promotion of their orange juice packaged drink, consumption of 5,000 units was a great thing because so many people could “experience” her brand firsthand.
For a newbie orchestra to perform live on the footpath of Marine Drive was a big thing. Similarly, a singer won her own marathon when she sang some songs for the first time in a live scenario like this.
For a large number of full or half marathon runners, just being able to complete the run successfully was a huge milestone in their own lives.
For a brand manager, organizing a “below the line” brand communication initiative in the form of a noisy dance booth on the marathon route was a big, bold resume bullet point.
For a shy employee in a company, being able to wake up and reach the venue on time and run along with the scores of his colleagues in the company’s dream run troupe was a big self esteem boost.
For traffic police heads, to successfully manage traffic bypassing the marathon route was a sigh of relief.
For Mumbai police, “uneventful” completion of the marathon is a big achievement.
Except the main winners who got the prize, others were not honored publicly. But each one of them ran and won their own private marathons.
It is a beautiful feeling running and winning a marathon, public or private. We must set our sights on some race and proudly hit the finish line. There are very few joys which are more joyful.
