Mumbai Marathon 2019: Naigaon cops sip Cup of cheer

Constables Sandip Khutade, Sagar Shinde and Ashish Patil pose with the Police Cup. Pic/Subodh Mayure

Usually one sees the police force in large numbers during festivals or big sporting events. Yesterday was no exception, but 66 of them were involved in the 22-team Police Cup - a 21.097km event which had policemen running from Worli Dairy to Hazarimal Somani Marg (near Bombay Gymkhana).

Naigaon Police headquarters 'A' team comprising constables Sandip Khutade, Sagar Shinde and Ashish Patil won this event by registering an aggregate timing of 4:09:11 (an average of 1 hour 22 minutes run by each teammate). Naigaon Police beat their 'B' team (Ganesh Kanoje, Dilip Fufane and Sidharam Dongarje) who finished with 4:31:55.

Khutade, Shinde and Patil, who participated for the first time, were richer by Rs 75,000. "We were confident of winning the Police Cup considering how hard we trained for this event," Shinde told mid-day after the triumph.

Patil, meanwhile said: "The Police Cup helped us maintain our fitness throughout the year. I request all my constable friends to use this platform and keep themselves fit." Khutade was thrilled, but was practical in his views when it came to looking ahead. "We all know it will be not be that easy to defend this title next year because all participants will work hard for the next challenge. We must improve our timings next year by practising rigorously," said Khutade.

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