Dream Walk

OK, the Standard Chartered Marathon raises a lot of money for charity, so I'm glad they organise it annually. But I could do without the hype of calling it Asia's largest such event. Because few of the participants run the 42 kilometers. The majority enter what is called the Dream Run, a six kilometer scenic route from VT to the Oberoi, down Marine Drive and up to Azad Maidan. Most marathons set the low bar at 10K, so obviously a concession has been made for supremely unfit Indians. Still, six kilometers is not child's play. I'd be impressed if thousands of Bombayites ran that far. But they don't. Almost all walk the 6K, breaking into a jog now and then for maybe a hundred meters before slowing down because they're out of breath.
Only in India could thousands of people go for a Sunday morning stroll and come away believing they took part in a marathon.