Mumbai, Jan 3 (UNI) Defending champions Anish Thapa and Nirmaben Thakor will spearhead the Indian challenge at the 21st edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Race, scheduled to be held on Sunday, January 18, according to a press release.
The premier road-running event will once again showcase the depth of Indian distance running, with a strong field of seasoned performers and emerging athletes lining up across the elite men’s and women’s categories.
Anish Thapa, who also won the Hyderabad Marathon in 2025, will look to defend his men’s title after establishing himself as one of the country’s most consistent marathoners.
The experienced campaigner owns a personal best of 2:16:41, set in Delhi in 2022, and will face stiff competition from Asian Marathon Champion Man Singh and two-time Tata Mumbai Marathon winner Srinu Bugatha.
Man Singh, runner-up at the 2025 edition in Mumbai, comes into the race with formidable credentials. The Asian Marathon Championships 2024 gold medallist clocked a personal best of 2:13:25 at the Valencia Marathon in 2025, making him the third-fastest Indian marathoner of all time.
Srinu Bugatha, champion in 2020 and 2024, also returns with proven success on the Mumbai course, while Pradeep Singh Chaudhary adds further depth after a series of consistent domestic performances.
In the women’s elite field, Nirmaben Thakor will aim for a historic third consecutive Tata Mumbai Marathon title. Her quest for a hat-trick will be challenged by former champion Jyoti Gawate, winner of the 2011 and 2017 editions, who is eyeing a strong comeback.
Lalita Babbar remains the only woman to have achieved a similar feat, having won three successive titles between 2012 and 2014.
Also in contention is Bhagirathi, a Hyderabad and Delhi marathon winner with a personal best of 2:48:56, alongside Sonam, a podium finisher at the 2025 Tata Mumbai Marathon, and Ashvini Madan Jadhav, one of the youngest runners in the elite women’s field.
The top three finishers in both the Indian Elite men’s and women’s categories will receive prize money of Rs 5 lakh, Rs 4 lakh, and Rs 3 lakh, respectively. An additional event record bonus of Rs 2 lakh and an Indian event record jackpot of Rs 1 lakh are also on offer.
The current Indian event records stand at 2:15:48 by Nitendra Singh Rawat in the men’s category and 2:34:56 by Sudha Singh in the women’s category.
