Tata Sons replaces Standard Chartered as Mumbai Marathon’s title sponsor

Tata Sons, the holding company of India’s largest conglomerate, on Wednesday announced that it will be the the new title sponsor of Mumbai Marathon for the next 10 years, starting 2018.

The company has inked a ten year deal with the event’s owner Procam International, replacing Standard Chartered Bank. The British bank was the marathon’s title sponsor for over a decade, but decided to back out due to financial woes.

The marathon, among Asia’s largest and most prolific running races, will be called Tata Mumbai Marathon from 2018.

The 15th edition of the race will be held on January 21 next year, a day marking the 150th anniversary of Tata Group and the 50th anniversary year of group company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd.

The conglomerate was the marathon’s associate sponsor until now. They also sponsor the New York City Marathon, touted as the world’s largest, and Amsterdam Marathon.

“We are delighted to become the title sponsor of the Tata Mumbai Marathon from 2018. Events like the marathon promote values like grit, tenacity, excellence, perseverance, belief, commitment, and passion that have been a key part of the Tata group’s ethos since its inception, almost 150 years ago,” N. Chandrasekaran, chairman, Tata Sons said in a statement.

“Partnering with India’s premier long-distance running event is a great way for the Tata group to increase our engagement with the community, raise funds for charity as well as create societal awareness about the necessity of good health and fitness. As a marathoner, I’m personally proud to support this partnership,” he added.

The Tata Mumbai Marathon will entail a prize money of $405,000 for the 2018 edition, slightly higher than the $386,667 distributed last year.

Like its previous edition, the marathon will have races across five categories: Marathon (42 kms), Half Marathon (21 kms), Dream Run (6 kms), Senior Citizens Race (4.3 kms), and Champions with Disability category (2.4 kms).