Are we closer to breaking India’s long-standing marathon record?

The national record for the full marathon was hardly challenged last Sunday when more than 65,000 people turned out for the Tata Mumbai Marathon — Asia and India’s biggest race. The record has stood undisturbed since 1978 when Shivnath Singh ran a marathon in 2 hour 12 minutes in Jalandhar. Olympian and former Indian elite winner at Tata Mumbai Marathon, Gopi Thonakal came the closest in Valencia in December 2025 when he ran a career best 2:12:23 — the long-standing record eluding him by mere seconds. But a new record is coming, and soon, say India’s top marathon coach and athletes.

Dr Kartik Karkera, 28, the fastest Indian, and tenth overall, at the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2026 said, “India’s marathon record will be broken this year or the next. I am capable of running a marathon in 2:14-15 right now and definitely want to have an attempt at the national record in one of the faster, flatter courses in Chicago or Valencia.”

With Thonakal not in the fray this year, Karkera beat last year’s winner Anish Thapa with a time of 2:19:55 while Sanjivani Jadhav was the fastest Indian woman finishing the race in 2:49:02. Ethiopia’s Tadu Abate won the overall Tata Mumbai Marathon men’s title, blazing through the new race route that included the brand new Coastal Road, in 2:09:55. Fellow Ethiopian Yeshi Chekole won the women’s title as she crossed the finish line in 2:20:59.

Karkera, who has worked with trainers and Olympic training centres in Europe, isn't the only one who is optimistic. Subedar Major Mohammad Yunus, long-time national coach from the Army Sports Institute, also believes that a new Indian marathon record is imminent and our runners are very close. “Gopi narrowly missed the record by 23 seconds. He is close and we are preparing new runners to have a go at the marathon distance. So, if not this year, we will have a new record by next year,” says Yunus from the high- altitude Olympic Training Centre in Colorado Springs, US where he is monitoring 10,000m and 5,000m national record holder Gulveer Singh’s training.

Yunus, who is in charge of 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon training for Team India, feels the one runner who is likely to set a new benchmark – besides Karkera, of course – is Sawan Barwal, a decorated and speedy middle distance runner who is being prepared to move up to long distance running. Even Karkera picks the 27-year-old Barwal as the most likely athlete to set a new marathon record for India. “I have trained with our top runners including Gopi and Barwal. At 34 years of age, Gopi is at his peak and might find it difficult to go faster. Barwal’s running style suits a marathon and he has age on his side. He is most likely to improve on Shivnath Singh’s 2:12 marathon record,” notes Karkera.

Karkera, who was on track to break a new course record for an Indian athlete till the 35km mark on Sunday, struggled in the final leg because of the demanding route, heat and cramps. Post-race, Karkera said the Tata Mumbai Marathon is undoubtedly a big race with a great atmosphere, but the course and weather conditions make it a very tough race.

“In Mumbai, even international elite runners from Ethiopia and Kenya are typically 4-5 minutes slower than their usual marathon timings. The Indian athletes, including me, are also off their pace by 5 minutes or so here. So, we are highly unlikely to set a new record in Mumbai,” says Karkera. Coach Yunus agrees, adding that Delhi’s flat course and cooler temperatures are ideal for fast marathon timings. “When our runners turn out for the New Delhi Marathon on February 22, they will have one eye on the record. Valencia and Chicago marathons are the other races where our runners can create a new record,” says Yunus.

INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE IS KEY

One reason why Indian long distance runners struggle to post faster race times is because of a lack of international exposure. An Indian athlete noted that when they line up in a local race they are all competing against people they are familiar with. Yunus says this drawback goes out of the picture the minute our athletes start competing with elite runners from Kenya, Ethiopia and other parts of the world. “Our runners need to train with and compete against the top international athletes. They need international exposure if they have to improve and get faster,” says Yunus, adding that the Athletics Federation of India has been supporting them in ensuring that the runners get to run and train with the best in the world.

Karkera, who is an orthopaedic and traumatology surgeon , points at the difference in training facilities and methods in India and Europe as one of the main reasons for our marathon record standing untouched for 48 years. To put this in context, the men’s marathon world record stands at 2:00:35 set by the late Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023 and Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich ran 2:09:56 in Chicago in 2024 to bag the women’s record. “A lack of scientific approach to training hampers our progress. Compared to Europe, our medical support and facilities for the athletes is inferior. We need to fix these two important aspects if we want to improve,” says Karkera drawing on his own experiences.

Shrenik Avlani is a writer and editor and the co-author of The Shivfit Way, a book on functional fitness.