Musings from the 2017 Mumbai Marathon

It’s an experience like no other. The heart is working overtime, the mind is fighting a tiring battle, the legs feel like they will give way any instant and the vision is blurred by a cocktail of tears and sweat. Yet one persists, spurred on by his own ambition to excel and emerge triumphant. I have been running marathons for a decade now (incidentally this was my 10th full marathon & 14th marathon run) and after each run I end up sharing anecdotes and insights with friends, colleagues and family. In our business (the media business that is), the viewership of a repeat telecast generally tends to diminish over time. Therefore, when I asked some close friends why they still want to hear about my experience after the 2017 Mumbai Marathon I was in for a surprise. After all, my ‘repeat telecast’ would have become monotonous by now, right? ‘No!’ they exclaimed, ‘Every time you end up sharing something new.’ I’ve never won a COLORS Stardust Award for Best Screenplay (or any other such award for that matter), but on hearing this remark I think I felt what a winner might feel, when he is recognised for his creative contribution. So much so, that I decided to pen this year's key takeaways online so that I can spread the word even further and gauge the true ‘viewership’ of my message. My Communications team tells me that they can actually track the number of views this piece gets so hopefully I can substantiate the popularity of my message with some real data!

 The 2017 run taught me a few distinct lessons that I will cherish for many years to come. I generally feel the strain in any 42 km run (the typical distance covered in a full marathon) post the 30-32 km mark. This time around I started feeling the exertion at the 24-25 km mark. I also perspire a lot and in each Mumbai marathon the body starts showing this strain by perspiring heavily around the 10 km mark. During this run, I started sweating within the 2-3 km mark, when I passed Pizzeria – a popular eatery on Marine Drive. This has never happened before. I immediately looked around to see the plight of other runners. Before I could ask, my running buddy - Mehlam Faizullabhoy - asked me, ‘Is it just me or is it really that humid?’ I breathed a sigh of relief. Negative thoughts (of the ‘is something wrong with me today’ variety) quickly gave way to a positive mindset and I picked up pace. At the 34 km mark I started developing cramps and found it hard to continue. I had to summon my deepest energy reserves before actually finishing the race in 4 hours (4:00:05 to be precise). I’ve done five Sub 4 hours marathons and this time I had hoped to accomplish a personal record of less than 3:56:20 - my timing at the recently concluded NYC 2016 Marathon. Was it a personal success or a failure? I learnt two things. For starters, no matter what, don’t get knocked down. Plans and strategies rarely work out in entirety. Obstacles can always be expected. It’s important to be flexible to course-correct and stay committed to the vision. This maxim applies in the management world as well. Very often, initial hiccups in a new launch or initiative make us doubt our ability to succeed. Able leaders know the value of ‘staying the course’ and this is what makes them unique. Also, each race - each project- each stint cannot be your personal best. What matters is what we take away from each experience and how we bounce back to achieve new records after a failure or stay rooted after a success. Setbacks are part of the journey. When I started cramping at the 34 km mark, I quickly broke up the remaining 8 or so kilometres into 3-4 parts. This made an otherwise daunting goal seem achievable. It’s important to set small goals. This will ensure that your mind doesn’t lose the race before your body does. Finally, for this edition of the marathon, my colleagues from Viacom18 helped raise funds for The Akanksha Foundation to support the education of underprivileged children. It’s a great feeling to hold the medal after completing the race, but it’s much, much better to know that you have helped make a difference to the lives of others. This also explains why many full marathoners pass on their goodie-bags (with fruit and water) to homeless children who have gathered at the finishing line - despite their own needs and exhaustion levels. Rewards can be more rewarding than awards. This holds equally true for corporations. That businesses need to be financially sustainable if they have to thrive is a given. However, endearing, successful organisations are different. Their DNA is based on a larger purpose that goes beyond plain commercial success.  Their teams are galvanised basis this very purpose – one that touches all stakeholders, including the society they inhabit. This is what inspires them to scale new heights.

For new runners a full marathon takes around 5 hours to complete. Seasoned runners in India can complete a marathon in around 4 hours. For successful runners the lessons learnt from each marathon last a lifetime.