It’s been a busy new year, kicked off by a short and sweet dash to Mumbai, to cheer Souvik in the Mumbai Marathon (he ran half). Made even more exciting by the fact that it was my first trip in 4 years since leaving for Vietnam. All the flyovers that were WIP then have been completed, the weather was fantastic, even the standard Mumbai sights and sounds brought wave after wave of nostalgia.

And there was the Marathon. We had a large contingent to cheer Souvik, plus there were a number of other friends participating.

Look at Souvik at the starting point with his cheerleading squad, while the others warm up:

As the sea link route was closed for traffic, we cabbed it through the inner lanes all the way to Churchgate, and found a vantage spot to be able to see both sides of the road. There was a thrill to watch the elite marathoners blaze past.

Once that show was on the road, it was time for the half marathoners to get closer to the finish line. The excitement mounted steadily with all the drums and music blaring by the roadside, not to mention the hundreds of people standing by to egg people on. The crazies and the bare-chesteds got more attention, naturally, and some photos too.

And the real reason we were there – a competition between Souvik and my friend Irina, both of whom were running the half marathon. Mom was cheering Souvik wildly, but I’d put my money on Irina, and she won by a margin of over a minute! Both of them were surprised to see us not at the finish line, but a km before, in prime position, and they found some seconds to pose:

Mom cheering enthusiastically

Irina spots me before I see her! 

Go SOUVIK!!!

I had so many people to track, but as we had practically the entire family at the breakfast table by then – parents, cousins, spouse and friends, we couldn’t stand and stare. Missed seeing most of the celebrities that ran. For us, these half-marathon finishers were the heroes of the day: