11 January,2011 08:18 AM IST | | Ashwin Ferro
Even as Mumbaiites struggle to sport broad smiles for fear of cracked lips given the chilly weather prevalent in the city across the last few days, one man is smiling from ear to ear.
Mumbai Marathon race director Hugh Jones is only too happy to see the dipping mercury levels across the city as he believes it will have a positive effect on the eighth edition of the mega run on Sunday. "Normally, the temperature in Mumbai at this time of the year hovers around the 22 degree Celsius mark.
"However, this time it has dipped way below 20 degrees and this is great news for the athletes participating in the Mumbai Marathon," Jones told MiD DAY yesterday.
Cooler climes favour long distance races and as Mumbai is not known for its cold weather, Jones believes even the elite athletes will be pleasantly surprised when they land here in the next few days. There has been a steep eight-degree fall in the city's temperature across Thursday and Friday with temperatures falling to as low as 12.4 (lowest recorded minimum in the last three years) degrees on Saturday making it the coldest day of this season and second coldest day since January 27, 2008 (10.2 degrees Celsius).
In fact, the temperature could alter the Mumbai Marathon's record books, felt Jones, winner of the 1982 London Marathon with a record timing of 2:09:24 secs.u00a0
"The temperature is certainly favourable for a marathon. However, it also depends on what shape the athletes are in after they get here. If they are feeling fine and if this temperature continues, a new course record is a very strong possibility. Personally, I'd be very pleased to see the fastest ever Mumbai Marathon," said Jones.
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With the experienced two-time winner Kenyan John Kelai (2:12:27 in 2007 & 2:12:23 in 2008) leading the elite athletes on Sunday, it sure looks like the tape can be breasted inside 2009 champ Kenneth Mungara's existing record of 2:11:51.
