"Things will grow gradually"- Adani Ahmedabad Marathon 2024 race director David Cundy expects Ahmedabad to match world-class standards soon
The much-awaited Adani Ahmedabad Marathon 2024 event will happen this Sunday (November 24), with 20,000 participants expected to run across four categories. It is the second-largest full marathon in India, and the organizers, Adani Sportsline, have also expressed gratitude to the nation's soldiers with the #Run4OurSoldiers initiative through this race.
The official jersey launch event for the Adani Ahmedabad Marathon 2024 was held yesterday (November 20)in the city. David Cundy (World Athletics Course Measurement Administrator, Asia & Oceania region) attended the grand launch along with Sanjay Adesara (CBO, Adani Sportsline), Niraj Badgujar (Additional Commissioner, Sector – 1, Ahmedabad), Neeta Desai (DCP Zone 4), and Dr. Amir Sanghavi (Medical Director, KD Hospital).
Certified by the Athletics Federation of India, the Adani Ahmedabad Marathon event will have a city-based course for the second time this year. It will cover Ahmedabad's iconic locations such as Atal Bridge, Gandhi Ashram, and Ellis Bridge.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda after the jersey launch event, David Cundy compared his experiences of organizing races in Australia and Ahmedabad and said:
"Very different to what I normally do. It takes me back to what I did in Australia years ago. The races start small always, and then they grow. 40 years ago in Australia, we didn't have the things that are taken for granted now. We didn't have the crowd control, barricades and expertise in closing roads."
"Australia has 40 years of history of doing it. Ahmedabad, it's just the second year, we are having a city-based course, things will grow gradually," he added.
Cundy is an esteemed figure in the field of race direction. His expertise will help the event become better this year. Sharing the details of some of the improvements that he has made for the Adani Ahmedabad Marathon 2024, Cundy added:
"Last year, we had some problems with the kilometers mark at wrong places. Kilometers marks are very important because runners plan to run to marks with certain pace. We didn't get it right the last time. We have addressed it. This time, all the marks are accurate and at right places."
"Another important thing is the drink station. They need to be consistent, like each drink station should have your energy drink, water, bananas and other stuff. It can't be like you have certain things on the first drink station and other things on the second," he concluded.
The full marathon, which will have a distance of 42.195 km, will begin at 4.45 am on Sunday. Top-notch medical arrangements are in place for the event, with more than 21 medical booths, one critical medical station, and volunteers providing primary first aid at the race course.
Besides, the runners will have a traffic-free experience at the event as the local police have ensured a safe and seamless environment for the participants.
Sanjay Adesara expects female participation at Adani Ahmedabad Marathon 2024 to increase in coming years
Sportskeeda also caught up with Adani Sportsline CBO Sanjay Adesara after the jersey launch event. Sanjay disclosed that 4,000 out of the 20,000 participants at the Adani Ahmedabad Marathon 2024 are females. When asked if fans should expect the female participation to increase in the coming years, Sanjay replied:
"When the overall number increases, the female participation will also be in a higher number, not only in our marathon, but across the running groups, what we see in the city and state, the women participation, the young participation, this time, we have many colleges that are participating."
"So, slowly and gradually, running as a sport or as a hobby, it may not be limited to any male or female kind of a thing. We are hopeful that in the upcoming seasons, we will have a huge or equal number of females as males. Maybe in one season, they should even outshout the males as well," he signed off.
Apart from the full marathon, there are three other categories for the runners at the Adani Ahmedabad Marathon 2024, namely half-marathon, 10-km run, and 5-km run. Notably, more than 3,000 armed officers and hundreds of police officers will also participate as runners.