The rise of running communities in India, TMM race report, rainbow leg raises is for real and much more!
#WhatsUpThisWeek?
Let's understand the world of running communities, how they are built, and sustained, and why they have become so popular in India in this month's podcast at #GeekOnFeet
Thomas Bobby Philip (a.k.a Barefoot Bobby) ran the recent Mumbai Marathon with a finish time of 3h:11m & secured a podium finish in his age category. Know his run-up to the race in this race report at #GeeksOnFeet
Rainbow leg raises help build a strong core, improve hip flexibility, and enhance stability, at #WoW
200 men break 65 minutes at the World’s most competitive half-marathon, this and more at #RunSHORTS
Happy Reading!
#GeeksPoll
While running builds endurance, mixing in cross-training like cycling, swimming, or strength workouts, can boost overall fitness, reduce injury risk, and speed up recovery.
How often do you mix in cross-training with your runs? #geekspoll
Last week’s poll’s results on the use of Carbon-plated shoes in races are here.
#WoW - Rainbow Leg Raises
Rainbow leg raises help build a strong core, improve hip flexibility, and enhance stability.
How to do it?
Sit on a yoga mat with your legs extended and your hands by your side to maintain balance.
Engage your core and lift both your legs simultaneously creating a rainbow motion in a semi-circle and take your legs to the other side while keeping the core engaged and balanced
Perform the movement for 10-15 reps starting on one side. Keep the motion slow and controlled to get the most out of the exercise.
@Geeksonfeet
Race Report: Tata Mumbai Marathon 2025 by Bobby
Thomas Bobby Philip ran the recent Mumbai marathon with a finish of 3h:11m with a remarkably consistent pace while securing a podium finish in his age category. This well-known barefoot runner’s race report reveals his training philosophy, pacing regimen, and more importantly his pacing, and racing strategy. Read his full race report here.
Ep 44 - Running Communities In India
This 44th episode of World of Running dives into the world of running communities in India with host Aditi. How they are built and sustained, and why they have become so popular in India over the last decade. Listeners will learn about the evolution of running clubs in India, the impact of community support on individual fitness journeys, and practical strategies to engage and nurture a thriving running group.
Joining the conversation is Ramesh Kanjilimadhom, an IT professional and seasoned marathon runner from Kochi. In 2013, he started Soles of Cochin, a vibrant running community that has motivated hundreds of runners locally. His journey from casual running to creating ‘Soles of Cochin’ provides invaluable insights.
Listen here.
Youtube Episode
RUN STRONG. OWN 2025.
Are you struggling to create your running plan?! RunStrong Training Plans got you covered, we have prepared a video explaining how to create a training plan. So start the year strong with runstrong.geeksonfeet.com/training-plans!
#RunSHORTS
Indian Navy Half Marathon debuts in New Delhi
The inaugural edition of the Indian Navy Half Marathon, held on February 2, saw over 7,500 runners take to the streets of New Delhi. The race began at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and took participants through iconic landmarks such as India Gate and Kartavya Path. Alongside the half marathon, the event featured 10K and 5K race categories, bringing together runners from diverse backgrounds. This marks the fourth city where the Indian Navy, the maritime arm of India's armed forces, has organized the event, fostering a shared commitment to fitness and patriotism between the armed forces and civilians. Mumbai, Kochi, and Vizag are the other cities where the Navy hosts the race under its Western, Southern, and Eastern Naval Commands, respectively. The Indian Navy is expected to announce the Indian Navy Slam, similar to Procam Slam, covering these four cities. In New Delhi, Kubir Singh clinched victory in the half marathon, crossing the finish line in 1:04:47—half a minute ahead of Manjit Singh (1:05:16), while Shubham Baliyan secured third place in 1:06:10. In the women's race, Vrinda Bhandari took the top spot with a time of 1:36:50, followed by Nivedita Kapoor (1:40:35) in second and Nikita Rathee (1:42:19) in third.
200 men break 65 minutes at World’s most competitive half-marathon
At the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon (in Japan), the competition was fierce. In one of the world’s most competitive fields, 200 men broke the 65-minute mark, proving the hypothesis that runners are getting faster in longer distances. Elite runners shined, as 2024 London Marathon champion Alexander Mutiso sliced his course record to 59:16, while Japan’s Tomoki Ota set a new national record at 59:27. What is interesting is that even a 63-minute effort wouldn’t have cracked the top 100, highlighting the race’s deep talent pool. With qualifying standards typically ranging from 60 to 65 minutes, the Kagawa Marugame Half remains a bucket-list event for runners chasing personal bests in half-marathon and world-class competition. Read more here.
Race Calendar
We have revamped our race calendar with everything you need to know about the race, route, experience, and much more. We have added information about major races and we need the help of the community to make it further robust. Thus we invite runners to share their experiences related to race routes and other information that will benefit runners.
Next 6 Months:
Search and find races using our Race Finder at geeksonfeet.com/races.
#TipOfTheWeek - Contrast Runs
Want to fine-tune your running mechanics? Contrast runs can help. These runs help runners truly experience and feel the difference between various cadences and foot strikes and can strongly reinforce the habits of the right running mechanics.
Twice a week, after a good warm-up, try these to feel the difference in cadence and foot-strike patterns.
Cadence Contrast Runs: Run barefoot at a moderate pace with a midfoot strike and at your natural cadence. Then, after a short rest, repeat with a cadence of 180 and then 200. Finally, return to your natural cadence. Repeat the sequence in shoes. This helps lock in an efficient, quick cadence.
Landing Contrast Runs: On soft grass, run for 20 seconds with a heel strike, then switch to midfoot strikes for 40 seconds. Repeat with shoes on. You’ll feel how midfoot-striking reduces impact forces.
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Contributors to this edition: Aditi Pandya, Karthik Nadar, and Aravind Yarra