Srinu Bugatha and Thakor Nirmaben Bharatjee, the defending champions in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively, will headline a star-studded Indian Elite field for the 20th edition of the Mumbai Marathon 2025, scheduled for January 19.
Reigning Asian marathon champion Man Singh, Olympian Gopi T, a two-time winner and three-time runner-up, and the experienced Kalidas Hirve, who secured fourth place in the 2024 edition, are among the leading contenders in the men’s race.
Gopi claimed victory at the 2024 New Delhi Marathon with a time of 2:14.40, narrowly beating his Army teammate Bugatha by just one second. Maharashtra’s Hirve, who finished third in the 2023 edition, showcased his current form by winning the recent Vasai-Virar Mayor’s Marathon.
The World Athletics Gold Label race will also mark the debut of Kartik Kumar, the 2023 Asian Games 10,000m silver medallist, over the classic marathon distance. Kartik recorded his best marathon time of 2:22:50 at the Bengaluru Marathon in October 2024. Young talent Harshad Mhatre, who finished fifth in the last edition, is also in the mix.
In the women’s race, Nirmaben, who was the runner-up at the 2024 New Delhi Marathon and placed fourth at the World 25K Kolkata 2024, will face tough competition. Challenging her for the top spot are Sonika Parmar and Reenu, the winner and runner-up, respectively, at the 2024 Coal India Ranchi Marathon. Arati Patil, who secured second place in the 2023 edition, is also a strong contender.
The top three finishers in the Indian Elite men’s and women’s categories will be awarded prize money of ₹5 lakh, ₹4 lakh, and ₹3 lakh, respectively, from the total prize fund of USD 390,238.
An incentive reward of ₹2 lakh will be granted for setting a new course record. The current records are held by Nitendra Singh Rawat in the men’s 2016 edition (2:15:48) and Sudha Singh in the women’s 2019 edition (2:34:56).
Indian Elite Athletes for Mumbai Marathon 2025
Men: Gopi Thonakal, Man Singh, Srinu Bugatha, Pradeep Singh Chaudhary, Anish Thapa Magar, Kalidas Hirve, Sher Singh, Kartik Kumar, Sarvesh Kumar, Yogesh Kumar Sharma, Harshad Mhatre, Vikram Bangriya, Pankaj Dhaka, Late Changdev, Anant Gaonkar, Prathamesh Paramkar, Nikhil Singh, Dev Singh Dagar, Pankaj Singh, Subhash Saini, Deepa Ram.
Women: Sonika Parmar, Thakor Nirmaben Bharatjee, Arati Patil, Reenu, KM Laxmi, Jigmet Dolma, Shymali Singh, Aradhana Kumari, Bhagwati Dangi, Jyoti Pal, Disket Dolma, Neeta Patel, Bhagirathi Bisht, Pooja, Sonam, Yamini Thakare, Seema.