The national marathon record of India, standing unbroken since 1978, faced another year without challenge at the recent Tata Mumbai Marathon, despite an impressive turnout of over 65,000 participants. This prestigious event, recognized as Asia and India's largest race, saw elite athletes from around the world, yet the historic benchmark set by Shivnath Singh's 2 hour 12 minute run in Jalandhar decades ago remains intact.
Close Calls and New Contenders
Olympian Gopi Thonakal came agonizingly close to breaking the record in December 2025, clocking a career-best 2:12:23 in Valencia – a mere 23 seconds shy of the national mark. While Thonakal wasn't competing this year, the spotlight shifted to Dr. Kartik Karkera, who emerged as the fastest Indian at the 2026 Tata Mumbai Marathon with a time of 2:19:55, securing tenth place overall.
Karkera, a 28-year-old orthopaedic surgeon and India's current fastest marathoner, expressed strong confidence about the record's imminent fall. "India's marathon record will be broken this year or the next," he declared. "I'm currently capable of running 2:14-15 and definitely plan to attempt the national record on faster, flatter courses like Chicago or Valencia."
Coaches Share the Optimism
This optimism isn't limited to athletes alone. Subedar Major Mohammad Yunus, the long-time national coach from the Army Sports Institute who oversees 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon training for Team India, echoed similar sentiments. "Gopi narrowly missed the record by 23 seconds. He is close, and we are preparing new runners to attempt the marathon distance. If not this year, we will have a new record by next year," stated Yunus from the high-altitude Olympic Training Centre in Colorado Springs, where he's monitoring training for national record holder Gulveer Singh.
Why Mumbai Isn't the Record-Breaking Venue
Despite its massive scale and electric atmosphere, the Tata Mumbai Marathon presents significant challenges for record attempts. Karkera explained, "In Mumbai, even international elite runners from Ethiopia and Kenya are typically 4-5 minutes slower than their usual marathon timings. Indian athletes, including myself, are also off our pace by about 5 minutes here."
Coach Yunus concurred, highlighting Delhi's flat course and cooler temperatures as more conducive to fast times. "When our runners compete in the New Delhi Marathon on February 22, they'll have one eye on the record. Valencia and Chicago marathons are other races where our runners can create history," he noted.
The Next Record Breaker
Both Karkera and Yunus identified Sawan Barwal as a prime candidate to break the marathon record. The 27-year-old decorated middle-distance runner is being prepared to transition to long-distance events. "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 record," observed Karkera, who has trained with both Thonakal and Barwal.
International Exposure: The Missing Link
A significant factor hindering faster Indian marathon times is the lack of international exposure. Yunus emphasized, "Our runners need to train with and compete against top international athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, and other parts of the world. They require international exposure to improve and get faster."
Karkera pointed to training disparities between India and Europe as another crucial factor. "A lack of scientific approach to training hampers our progress. Compared to Europe, our medical support and facilities for athletes are inferior. We need to fix these aspects if we want to improve," he explained, drawing from his experiences as both an athlete and medical professional.
The Global Context
To put India's marathon record in perspective, the current men's world record stands at 2:00:35, set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago 2023, while Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich holds the women's record at 2:09:56 from Chicago 2024. This substantial gap highlights the potential for improvement in Indian long-distance running.
As Ethiopian athletes Tadu Abate (2:09:55) and Yeshi Chekole (2:20:59) claimed the overall titles at this year's Tata Mumbai Marathon, and Sanjivani Jadhav finished as the fastest Indian woman with 2:49:02, the focus now shifts to whether Indian athletes can translate their potential into record-breaking performances on the global stage in the coming months.
