Yadav’s Indian face dashing towards the finish-line evoked a host of cheers from the crowd that had watched eight Kenyans and one Ethiopian sprint past before he did. But there was little knowledge of Yadav’s course-record-setting feat for an Indian, neither a hint of sorrow when the timer ticked past 2:18, and the moment to seal his trip to the big Games (achieved last in 1980) passed on unbothered.

By and large, Mumbai is yet to identify with its non-descript marathon runners’ sentimental connection with the clock, like we do with say — a 99 in cricket or an extra-time hockey equaliser. The whole of London was known to breathe in and exhale along with Paula Radcliffe when she ran. And that was on her way to becoming a champion.

To his credit, Yadav kept pace with the Kenyan crowd for the first 10-15 kms, in itself an achievement. He also buried his paranoia over running in Mumbai, after he was stretchered with a painful thigh-muscle pull last year.

Meanwhile, Kenyan John Kelai and Ethiopian Seboka Mulu picked the top prizes repeating their past triumphs in the city, as Mumbai applauded the foreigners, wrapped up a fifth successive marathon and went home.

When men dressed in Superman T-shirts—another in Spiderman overalls—took off for the 42 km run, in the second batch after the elite runners, it was evident that the thin field in the full marathon could hardly anchor this event. Hence, the necessity of the run-walk-crawl if you please, Dream Run.

But blessed with fine climate, the marathon took off on a chilly Sunday morning that saw thousands throng CST to the big run. The lead-pack in men reached half-way mark in 65 minutes flat, and Kelai looked very pleased and said as much later about the weather.

First-time 42 km-runner Pashtoleima Devi from Manipur claimed the honours in the Indian women’s section, while second-placed Indresh Dheeraj from Greater Noida donated yet another of her prize cheques to her Sarvahit Karyayog Shiksha orphan’s ashram.

CISF’s Bhagwati giggled her way to third-place in a race from which she expected no returns considering her laidback preparation, and later proudly proclaimed her 33 years. “It’s the one place where women don’t mind spelling out their age,” quipped an observer.