‘Running helps empower people, including women’

When and how did the idea to launch Procam come about?
Procam was a dream which was born in 1988 and it was a brainchild of my brother Anil Singh. When we started it initially, we began by organizing a lot of tennis events and conducted summer coaching as well. For the 10 years starting 1989, the biggest tennis tournaments [in India] were done by Procam.

We actually revolutionised the way things were done. We ensured that players got 5-star accommodation and luxury transportation to and from the venue. So we brought in a lot of professionalism as well. Now it's been 25 years and counting.

What are the challenges you faced while setting up Procam?
The challenges were many as there was no sports management industry at that time.

Sponsorships were very limited. For instance, only if the chairman of a company liked a particular sport would he sponsor it, irrespective of whether the product or service offered had a connect with that sport or not. So we brought in the concept of return of investment, because if they put in part of the money of a full page advertisement, they would get a good return on the investment.

Here we were not asking them for charity or a CSR (corporate social responsibility) or a donation. We were asking them for part of their advertisement rupee and then to evaluate the bang for the buck. That made people start taking the leap of faith which changed things eventually.

While there were several challenges, there were also several opportunities as it was very new.  Now Procam has moved from strength to strength and we have discovered new formats. We refused to take the trodden path and we kept looking at different and innovative things to do. We revolutionised sports along the way. So it has been quite a journey.

When you started your first marathon event in 2004, did you think that running would become such a fad in this cricket crazy nation?
The idea of the marathon actually came a few years before 2004. In 2003, we travelled to London to actually see the London marathon which was a very big event. That's what transformed the entire thing. It was such a fabulous experience.

When we were on the start line, we saw all kinds of people ranging from lawyers, doctors, mothers, fathers to even grandfathers. And for that one day, the look in their eyes said that "I am not a lawyer or a doctor or a parent today but an athlete".

And when we saw that look in the eyes of common people which we normally see only in the eyes of athletes, we knew we were on to something which was magical. And Anil said that this magic and this social revolution called a marathon must come to India. So that's how we found Standard Chartered Bank who took the leap of faith in us and that's how the first Standard Chartered Mumbai marathon was born in 2004.

What do you think has propelled Indian people towards running?
It's a simple sport. All you need is a good pair of shoes and you can start running. I think people have discovered the joy of running. It has tremendous benefits for health, fitness and even meditative benefits as it calms your mind and helps you focus. It releases certain endorphins into your system that make you feel happy and good about yourself. So people have discovered that a simple activity like running can actually change their lives.

For instance the Standard Chartered Mumbai marathon has changed people's lives as one sees amateurs taking up the challenge of doing the full marathon.

The fact of the matter is that running is not a spectator sport, it's a participative sport. It's not a sport that you can wake on the day and do it. It requires three to six months of training. During those months one becomes conscious of diet, sleep patterns and alcohol consumption.

One sees people making a conscious effort to change as they start training for marathons. And that's how they are affecting the fitness, health and the social paradigm.

The beauty is that it also brings communal harmony as you are running shoulder to shoulder with all kinds of people, the rich and the poor, or of different communities. There are also people running for a cause and raising money for that cause, which is amazing. It's also especially nice to see women running. In fact we encourage women runners and have a special quota for them.

From Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, you have managed to tap other smaller cities to organise marathon events. How difficult was it to do so and build your equity around the country?
We do the big events and not the smaller ones. We focus on the four big ones which are Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad. It's just that this has caused a running revolution. So the smaller cities are doing their own marathons and there are hundred such marathons or distance races like a 10K, 15K happening every other day.  That's good because that's how the fire will spread.

Do you organise international events? How do marathon enthusiasts get access to such events and register for them?
These marathons are international events as the world's best come to run in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore. They are certified by the Association of International Marathons (AIMS) and are recognized world over. They are supported by the Athletic Federation of India, the Indian union and state governments, etc.

Today one can see an increase in the number of people travelling for marathons overseas. Each marathon has its own registration process and the fever has caught on with people are travelling all over the world for running. We are part of a global community thanks to AIMS, which is connected on aimsworldrunning.org.

What does it take to organise a marathon and make it a success?
It takes a lot of planning and the support of a lot of people. So we are fortunate to have the support of the government and allied agencies like the police, municipal corporations, and the railways.

Thanks to this civic cooperation, the Mumbai marathon starts from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus which is a beautiful landmark. This cooperation from a lot of agencies instils a 'can-do' spirit. It's a unique participation and partnership of the private and public enterprises. So all this coming together makes it a successful event.

Have you seen an increase in the number of women runners over the years? How would you encourage them to get into running given their various inhibitions?
There has been a serious increase in the number of women runners and one sees more women registering for our events.  I think that's a fabulous development and we have encouraged them in many ways. But I think a lot more can be done to encourage them and we should do a lot more. This is one area we intend to keep working on.

When women see thousands of people belonging to several age groups and walks of life, it automatically gives them the confidence to step out and do it themselves.

They may have other inhibitions also, such as hoping that nobody messes with them while they run. But that way our people have been really good and our women have been safe in all our marathons. 

This encourages them and gives them a sense of independence, a sense of achievement for having accomplished their distance. And I think more and more women will take to the sport as the years go by.

Do you think we have enough facilities and adequate infrastructure to promote running as a sport especially in a space-constrained city like Mumbai?
Yes, we do. I agree Mumbai is space-constrained, but there are several parks. There is an entire coastline starting from South Mumbai to the north.  And that has been a boon.

There are so many of us who run along this coast. Running is an activity you can do either early in the morning or late in the night. Also when traffic is less you can run on the roads of Mumbai, be it Sunday or any other day.

Do you see yourself organizing events in other smaller towns?
I am not sure. For us we have a certain set of skills and expertise which is geared towards international sporting events. We are able to do the big events, pull in big stars, sponsors etc.  However if we go to smaller cities, that may not be our skill or expertise.

There are many promoters doing marathons in so many cities in India and raising money for a lot of local charities. They are getting people in their community to become more fitness conscious. That's what you want. This paradigm has become a sporting movement. And this movement is slowly going across to several parts of our country.

How does the concept of running for charity work? And what are the causes you support?
India has been a unique trendsetter in this. We have a charity partner called the United Way of Mumbai in Mumbai, Concern India Foundation in Delhi, Bangalore Cares in Bangalore, and United Way Hyderabad in Hyderabad. Each of these charity partners acts as a philanthropic gateway.

We as promoters advocate a chunk of running numbers for these charities. In return these charities market the running numbers and use them to raise awareness in a big way. Within this we have individuals and corporates participating in different categories.

The philanthropic gateway not only monitors the charities but also empowers them and teaches them how they can raise money. And this has been a social transformation. The Mumbai marathon alone has pledged over Rs90 crore for charity, benefiting 300-400 social organisations. We have given them a platform and a system where they use this event to raise money.

That is valuable because they have learnt how they can connect with corporates and their base of supporters. They realize that it's a year on year activity, so they have incorporated such skills which were not there earlier. Marathons have therefore provided the largest charity-based foundations in India and credible social platforms for NGOs to connect and raise awareness for their cause.