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Published on January 21, 2008

The race was flagged off from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Terminus Junction, with more than 33,000 runners taking part and thousands of enthusiasts cheering the runners all along the competition route.

Among the participants were 1,350 runners for the 42.195-kilometre marathon, including 57 runners contesting the US$1.08-million Greatest Race on Earth .

The marathon race took place under a scorching sun, but the cold breeze came as a relief for the participants.

The Men's Nations Challenge saw 37 runners from six regions (Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, South Asia and the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Oceania/Americas) vie for the top honour.

Vietnamese Nguyen Dang Duc Bao, 24, who finished fourth in last year's SEA Games, produced a fantastic run to finish first among the SEA runners, 26th overall (in the  Marathon) and 12th among the GROE runners.

Nguyen Dang clocked two hours, 30 minutes and 57 seconds.

The women's Nations Challenge saw Thailand and Indonesia battling it out for the title. Pacharee Chaitongsri suffered a foot injury nearing the halfway mark, but the spirited Thai girl refused to give up. The Khon Kaen-born runner overcame the pain to make it to the finish line. She finished 15th in the marathon, sixth in the GROE overall and first in the SEA region. Pacharee clocked 2:55.29.  "Everything was fine except for the pain on my right foot. I told myself not to give up easily. Fortunately, I made it at last." Pacharee said.

Mumbai

Preechachan Wiriyanupappong

The Nation