Mumbai runs marathon for peace and victims

Thousands of runners took to the streets to participate in Mumbai's annual marathon on Sunday, many with messages of peace scribbled on their T-shirts in memory of the terror attacks on India's economic hub in November.

With cries of "Jai Maharashtra" (Hail Maharashtra!) and "Bharat Mata ki jai" (Victory to Mother India!), the runners, including many foreigners and out-of-towners, surged forward in an annual ritual, Mumbai's first international sporting event since November.

"I always look forward to the Mumbai marathon and this year was very special for me because of the things that happened," Patricia Joudrey, a Canadian teacher who lives in the southern India was quoted by Reuters as saying.

"I didn't think of not coming. In fact, I thought there was even more support, more people cheering today," said Joudrey, who ran the half-marathon for the fifth successive year.

More than 35,000 had registered this year, the sixth edition of the Mumbai Marathon, more than any in past years, said Bruno Goveas, a spokesman for Procam International, the organiser.

The event had tighter security, with metal detectors and scanners, more than 1,500 policemen, about 750 private security personnel and about 1,000 volunteers, Goveas said.

Some hotel staff stood outside and waved to participants, while guests looked on from its lobby. The hotel was reopened about three weeks after the attack. The adjacent Oberoi hotel, parts of it boarded up, is being renovated.

This year, as in past years, the Trident-Oberoi had a team of about 50 staff and executives participating, a spokeswoman said.

"They are running in memory of their colleagues and guests who were affected by the attacks," she said.

The Mumbai marathon is the third leg of a quartet that includes Nairobi, Singapore and Hong Kong. It concludes in Hong Kong on Feb 8.

"The sheer enthusiasm of the people in Mumbai is very special ... I haven't felt that in other places," Joudrey said.