Mumbai Marathon raises Rs 12 crore for charity

MUMBAI: The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon held on the streets of the metropolis on January 16 this year garnered Rs 12.16 crore for charity, an increase of Rs three crore as compared to the 2010 event.

The official charity partner of the event, United Way of Mumbai, last night vowed to raise the bar and rope in Rs 25 crore in the next edition of the event which is a gold label event of the International athletics federation (IAAF).

The function to announce the various award winners for raising charity during the marathon was presided over by Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan, who, while lauding the fund raised for charity, exhorted all those connected with the event to raise the bar even higher.

The funds raised would benefit 131 NGOs as compared to 109 the previous year, it was announced.

The marathon, an annual event on the calendar that has lost its recognition from the country's apex athletics body -- AFI -- was won by Ethiopian runners Girma Assefa and Koren Jal.

They took home the men's and women's titles and the prize money to go with them.