Mumbai Marathon: Half marathoners not entirely happy with cash rewards

Pradeep Singh (centre) with Shankar Man Thapa (right) and Deepak Kumbhar. Pic/Shadab Khan

The Sunday prior to the Tata Mumbai Marathon, army man Pradeep Singh lost out on the gold medal when colleague Shankar Man Thapa beat him during the National Cross Country (10 km) race in Goa. Yesterday, he left Thapa behind to win the half marathon in the Indian men's category, clocking a timing of 1:05:42 sec while Thapa had to settle for silver at 1:06:40 sec. However, both runners, who have qualified for the Asian Cross Country scheduled to be held in China on March 15, were not pleased with the prize money they received for yesterday's efforts.

Singh, a sepoy at the Army Sports Institute in Pune, expressed his dissatisfaction at the prize money of Rs 1.5 lakh. "The prize money is very important for us because we incur a lot of expenses. Our shoes are very costly and we need a new pair every three months, since our practice is strenuous. This prize money is by no means sufficient. Elsewhere, like the Raipur half marathon and other events, the prize money is R3 lakh," Pradeep, 27, told mid-day.

Has to be better
Thapa, who won Rs 1 lakh for securing the second spot, remarked: "The arrangements are very good here, but the prize money has to be better or at least equal to other half marathons in the country. I got Rs 1 lakh for my second place finish, but I should have got a minimum of Rs 2 lakh."

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