Mumbai runner attempts London marathon record in Welsh costume

Route course: the London experience

The husband ‘n' wife duo of Capt. Pramod Salvi and Kranti Salvi can put up their feet at their Mumbai apartment and take it easy. Well. Literally. The couple is back home after running one of the world's major marathons - London Marathon, on October 2. This was the 42nd running of the race. The London Marathon is held annually in April, but was pushed back to October this year to maximise mass participation.

Like in tennis you have the Grand Slam: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, in marathon running one has a somewhat similar concept. The Big Six are the London, Chicago, Boston, Berlin, Tokyo and New York marathons. The return of London is a signal that marathons are back on the roads, after the COVID-19 pandemic had brought most big events screeching to a halt.

Kranti ran the 42.2-km course in 4 hours, 3 minutes and 51 seconds. She was dressed in the national costume of Wales in an attempt to break the previous Guinness World Record, set in 2019 in Toronto (Canada) of a runner in Welsh costume who finished the marathon distance in 4 hours 30 minutes.

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Dress sense

"I selected the Welsh dress, as I was doing this race in the United Kingdom. I was finding out about a traditional national dress, and found the Scottish and Welsh dresses. I thought Welsh had deeper ethnicity. I read up a little on its history and how this costume is made," said Kranti of her costume choice.

"When you have been running so many marathons all over the world, you want to create good memories and have a different, exciting experience. I ran the Berlin marathon wearing a traditional ‘nav vari sari' (the nine-yard sari) and won the record for ‘fastest woman in a sari'. I want somebody to break my record."

South Mumbai's Kranti got the costume made with some help from a fashion designer friend. She laughed as she recalled, "The Welsh hat is the main aspect of this dress. Then, there is a long, ankle-length skirt and a woollen shawl around the shoulders."

Costumes, culture

Kranti is a serious marathoner, and her timings and trophies attest to that. Costumes add character to the great theatre that is marathon running. "There are many people attempting runs in costumes, some for raising funds or others for personal reasons. I saw so many interesting costumes on the London route, which finishes in front of the Buckingham Palace. There was one runner dressed like London landmark Big Ben; another dressed as an ‘energy gel' and one like a Rhino…" she said.

Record ratify

"Costumes make you connect with a culture and country. The way the Welsh cheered for me, on the route, I think I got the best reward," she said. On the record ratification front, Capt. Pramod, who struggled slightly with an ankle injury and finished in five hours, said, "The process for approval by the Guinness Book of Records is on."

The couple explained, "When Guinness officials are at the venue, it means you can get a certificate on the spot, it is called live adjudication. If they are not, as was the case in London, you have to submit proof, all evidence and then verification is done. All submissions have been done from our side, now we have to wait for a few days." "Out of the six major marathons, I have yet to run the Tokyo. I hope to do so wearing a kimono," Kranti concluded. That is called Zen and the art of marathon running.

42.2
Distance, in km, she ran at London marathon