Tata Mumbai Marathon 2026
Race Information
- Name: Tata Mumbai Marathon 2026
- Date: Jan 18, 2026
- Distance: 42.195 km
- Location: Bombay, MA
- Time: 5:30:00
Goals
| Goal | Description | Completed? |
|---|---|---|
| A | Sub 5 | No |
| B | Finish w/o walking | Yes / Mostly |
Splits
| KM | TIME |
|---|---|
| 1 | 7:10 |
| 2 | 7:02 |
| 3 | 7:09 |
| 4 | 7:10 |
| 5 | 6:48 |
| 6 | 7:22 |
| 7 | 6:58 |
| 8 | 6:51 |
| 9 | 7:04 |
| 10 | 7:11 |
| 11 | 7:31 |
| 12 | 6:23 |
| 13 | 7:07 |
| 14 | 7:10 |
| 15 | 7:01 |
| 16 | 6:55 |
| 17 | 6:55 |
| 18 | 7:34 |
| 19 | 7:26 |
| 20 | 7:40 |
| 21 | 6:44 |
| 22 | 7:52 |
| 23 | 7:16 |
| 24 | 6:56 |
| 25 | 6:57 |
| 26 | 7:37 |
| 27 | 6:56 |
| 28 | 7:39 |
| 29 | 8:00 |
| 30 | 8:03 |
| 31 | 8:23 |
| 32 | 8:26 |
| 33 | 8:36 |
| 34 | 7:40 |
| 35 | 7:59 |
| 36 | 8:13 |
| 37 | 8:23 |
| 38 | 7:03 |
| 39 | 6:19 |
| 40 | 8:14 |
| 41 | 7:54 |
| 42 | 9:08 |
| 43 | 9:03 |
| 43.8 | 6:07 |
Training
My training cycle for this race was from August’25 to Jan’26. I’d ‘run’ the NICE Road 10K in July’25 and was shocked as I found it hard to run even 1k at a stretch. I was ~93kg and shin splints were a constant companion if I ran any distance at a clip faster than 7:00/km. I went for a trek to Pin Babha Pass in late-July and thought to use the fitness gained over the course of the trek to propel my training forward once back to Bangalore.
August
I had a vague notion that I’d look to run a long-distance race sometime towards the end of year but was not sure whether it’d be Malnad or some other race. I was also not sure of body’s ability to handle increased mileage. I chose to set my sights on the Kodagu HM in September as it’d help with whatever goal came next. As my body wasn’t adapted to running, I chose to think of my training in terms of ‘time on feet’ for the majority of August (and September). My resolve was to ensure I was either running/walking or cycling on most days, using cycling/walking as cross-training and recovery. Since my season was just beginning, I also focused more on strength, and found greater use of my Cult membership.
Aug Stats: Running (30K), Walking (30K), Cycling (60K), 6 strength workouts.
September
September continued similarly. I had begun shedding some weight (probably was around 90kg around this point). Shin splints were still bothersome but I was able to put run 10-12k without stretching my aerobic limits. I had 2 runs with Shouvik - 12k and 6k - both at a 6:10/km pace. These gave me the confidence that I still had the ability to run reasonably fast provided I lost weight and continued building mileage sustainably. Unfortunately, these runs were perhaps too much too soon, and shin splints continued to plague me as I prepped for Kodagu HM on Sep 21. However, I continued with my philosophy of ensuring I got adequate distance albeit through walking. I ran the Kodagu HM in 2:39 at a 7:28/km pace - while still way off what I’d consider a respectable pace for my age, it constituted a small win as I ran it faster than 2024 (2:51). For reference, my best time was in 2023 (2:34) - I was leaner at this point, and this was after I’d just got back from my BMC so I’d carried that fitness into my marathon prep in 2023. I had an inkling that my aerobic engine was not far off 2023 (my supposed fittest stretch), but my body/legs had to catch up to longer distances.
September Stats: Walking (60km), Running (60km), Cycling (50km), 3 strength workouts.
October
October was an effective month of training. I’d continued to gradually lose weight while my legs accumulated resistance to fatigue. I had set my sights on the inaugural Mysore HM towards the end of the month. My long runs topped out at ~15 km, and at this point, I was able to add treadmill sessions for tempo sessions at a faster clip along with weekly track sessions to help with top-end pace. Most of my long runs in this period were at a 8:30/km pace; this is the pace at which my body was able to run in sustained Zone 2. While I felt as if I was getting fitter, I was still a long way away from feeling strong in any meaningful way. The Mysore HM itself was a disappointment; I ran it at a 7:34/km pace in 2:44. While the pace/time itself were not of much import, I’d ended up walking large stretches of the route which was disappointing. I was still looking to complete an event without walking.
October Stats: Running (90km), Walking (20km), Cycling (40km), 3 strength workouts.
November
No event to train towards in November but I had set my sights on Bangalore Ultra 35K in December. My training here was a continuation of October but I was able to push my long runs to 20K (twice), and otherwise layered in 5-8K workouts on the treadmill and the track. Shin splints were more manageable during this period although still present. On average, I was finally running ~25K per week.
November Stats: Running (100km), Walking (20km), 5 strength workouts.
December
The highlight here was the 37.5K at GKVK campus for Bangalore Ultra. I was not sure what to expect of myself or the event. ~38K is dangerously close to the FM distance, and I wasn’t sure how my body would adapt. I had a very disappointing run on Dec 1 (Mama’s bday) where I found it difficult to run even 5k; in retrospect, this was on the back of sustained increase in mileage across many weeks and I’d finally hit a wall with fatigue and recovery. I treated the first two weeks of the month as a taper, and lined for the race on Dec 21st with a couple of 15k runs under my belt. The 35K was a very good confidence booster; I completed 38k in 5:15 while making a concerted effort to not leave zone 2. At no point in the run did I feel overwhelmed, and my shin splints did not bother me. I ended up running 38k on the day, only fading/walking towards the end of the race. This gave me confidence that I could complete TMM in January if nothing else.
Pre-race
Landed in Mumbai on Jan 16 (the race was on the 18th). Collected the bib and goodies from the expo and headed to the hotel. The hotel did not have a gym and I didn’t fancy running on the pavements; decided to abandon the idea of a shake out run and instead decided to keep my legs active by walking around and exploring the sights. Must have walked 10k on both Fri and Sat; in hindsight, might have been better to have taken it easy on Sat but I didn’t want to lose the chance to explore Mumbai. I could’ve also eaten cleaner on both days, but I didn’t feel it was worthwhile to deny myself (the trip to Mumbai being equally important). I had a big Rajasthani/Maharashtrian thali on Friday, and two slices of pizza for dinner. On Saturday, I had eggs/french toast for brunch, and fried rice/kung pao chicken for dinner. The only misstep as such was the chicken, it left me feeling a little uncomfortable when I woke on race day but any discomfort didn’t remain long. I had oats/snickers that Mama had kept ready, and made my way to the CST holding area for the run. I’d missed the warm up but felt fine having walked to the venue.
Race
KM 1-10 (CSMT to Haji Ali)
CST-Flora Fountain-Hutatma Chowk Memorial-Oval Maidan-Church Gate-Brabourne Stadium-Marine Drive via Air India-Babulnath Temple
Left the holding area and immediately caught sight of CST fully decked up in lights. There were a lot of spectators lined up along the first 2km and cheering loudly; this helped with initial nerves and I managed to settle into a rhythm by KM 3. The highlight here was a lady running a decent clip while wearing a saree. My body took note of the humidity and I found myself wondering what the back half of the run would be like if it was this humid at 6am. However, either as a consequence of the weather or my regular hydration, I did not find myself considering the weather as an adversary for the remainder of the run. I knew I was making decent time as my watch showed an average pace of 7:00-7:10/km and I finished the first 10K within 70 min. I knew Peddar road was coming up and conserved my energy accordingly.
KM 10-30 (Coastal Road + Sea Link to Mahim Causeway)
Coastal Road-Worli Interchange-Sea Link-Bandra Toll-Mahim Causeway-Siddhivinayak
Peddar road is essentially two flyover-type structures; so you get the benefit of a downhill even as you are forced to get ready to climb again. By this time, I had settled into a good rhythm and found myself running up the inclines - this gave me a lot of confidence as I’d assumed that I’d be forced to walk any steep sections, but my legs and lungs felt strong. You exit Peddar Road and continue towards Haji Ali and then get onto the Coastal Road - this stretch is largely flat but with sudden spikes in elevation as you get onto the entry ramps for the coastal road. I continued feeling strong and kept my goal pace of 7:10/km all the way till Worli Sea Link around the 22K mark. Here, I felt my first note of weakness as the towering structure of the bridge and the never-ending expanse of the sea to our sides and the road in front had me feeling a little uneasy. I knew that I’d run a 25k without much hassle, but everything ahead of me now would be upto how I paced myself and luck. Whether instinctively or otherwise, I slowed down from 7:10/km to almost 8:15/km - I ran this stretch entirely on instinct and didn’t consult my watch at all - given this was my first proper FM experience, I think it’s fine. If I were to run a FM again, I’d train to sustain a steady pace from 25k-35k.
30-42K (Coastal Road-South Bound + Peddar Road)
I’d lost track of the route by this point and was just following the markers. We found ourselves back on the Coastal Road. Again, the ramps offered a challenge with the elevation, but I was determined not to walk. I found a second wind after 35K and started pushing myself with the hope of finishing under 5hr but it was not realistic - there was a delta of almost 2k b/w my watch and the route markers. I finished 40k in 5hr as per my watch, but the official timer would’ve only shown ~38k. I intentionally slowed down after the 5hr mark and decided to walk some stretches as I didn’t want to burn all my matches and thought it better to conserve energy. Mama was waiting for me near Churchgate, and I pushed myself to run the last stretch and meet her. Crossed the finish line with an official time of 5:31 although my watch indicates I ran an extra 2k, so my finish time was perhaps closer to 5:15.
Post-race
Things I’m happy about:
- Met my goal of running the entire distance (mostly). Legs felt strong throughout, and the distance seemed doable.
- Nutrition and hydration were on point. Gut has the capacity to absorb carbs/gels.
- The route/race itself was brilliant and I’m very glad to have had the opportunity to run it. The support from the spectators left me genuinely emotional at points.
Things I’m not happy about:
- On paper, finished well outside my reach goal of 5:00. I think with better planning and experience, I’d have been able to execute better. But this is mostly a small gripe, my goal is to ensure that this remains the least fit I am this year.
Got back to the hotel and had a hearty lunch at Ideal Corner with Mama. All in all, an excellent experience and one that’s got me chafing at the bit, waiting for the next race!