Nikita Dutta on completing the Mumbai Half Marathon 10th year in a row: The city comes alive during it
Nikita Dutta opens up on her experience of completing the Mumbai Half Marathon for the 10th year, how she trained for it and the importance of running to her
Actor Nikita Dutta recently participated and completed the Mumbai Half Marathon, making it her 10th completion of it in a row. Ask her about her experience, and Nikita Dutta says, “I'm from Mumbai myself, and it's a lot about the flavour of this city that you're experiencing while you're running. You run on the iconic Sea Link, and it is the only time you are allowed to be on foot on that.”

The actor adds, “The best part starts the moment you get to Worli sea face, and the Peddar Road, which is the residential area, and it has the old Mumbai charm. You have so many residents out there very selflessly holding cards, offering food and water. You have all sorts of people who are running over there and it’s a beautiful feeling of inclusivity that you experience. I believe that you do not get to see the spirit of Mumbai in a night club or in any other place, but you see the spirit of Mumbai in the Mumbai marathon, because that's when the city actually comes alive.”
Nikita has had an athletic background as she used to run and play basketball in school, but she never pursued it. “When I was about to take part in Miss India back in 2012, I did not have the right knowledge about workout, gym and how to go about it. I remember trying to lose weight and I just started running because that's the most accessible thing for anybody who don't know where to go and how to do it. So, that's when again I had really taken to running,” she shares, adding that in 2015, a charity offered her a bid in the Mumbai Marathon, and her association started since.
Ask her if she undergoes any specific training for the marathon preparation and the 34-year-old says, “If you're a naturally fit person and you are consistent year round with the kind of lifestyle that you live, it makes it very easy to run 21 km. What I do is that in December every Sunday, I generally target about a long run between 10 to 15 km. I start focusing a lot on strengthening my legs because your quads, your lower back and legs, they need to be very strong for you to be able to sustain that much. For others, December is like the partying month, but for me, it’s the most disciplined month.”
Nikita adds, “The moment November is getting over and we're getting into December, my head already starts functioning with the thought that these are going to be my long-distance running days. Taking part in the marathon started just like a random activity but it became such an important part of my life. I highly recommend that everybody should do this at least once in their life.”
