Actors John Abraham and Bipasha Basu at the marathon. Picture by Gajanan Dudhalkar

Mumbai, Jan. 20: The motto may well have been 2,500 years old: “Rejoice, we conquer.”

Yet today, as Mumbai ran the Greatest Race On Earth (GROE), few would have remembered the legend of Pheidippides, who ran from the seaside village of Marathon to deliver to Athens the news of a Greek victory over the invading Persians.

He used his last breath to utter the three words before dropping dead at the end of the 26-mile run.

The Mumbai marathon saw no such tragedy. But it did test the city’s tenacity and gave it a reason to rejoice over its ability to conquer odds.

The sun was not missed as 33,000 people began the run at the crack of dawn. Enthusiasm shone bright enough.

Former Olympic champion Gabriela Szabo of Romania, the brand ambassador for the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, part of the GROE, was amazed.

“I know this is a populous city, but hats off to the thousands who have turned up at this hour to run,” said the 5000m gold medallist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The boys selling tea at Chhatrapati Shivaji railway station made brisk business as Mumbaikars waited for Szabo to flag off the marathon.

Kantilal Mote and Babu Walvi had arrived at the station last night from their tribal village of Dhadgaon in Nashik. They did some last-minute stretching.

“I’m nervous. I came because of the prize money ($1million, all the awards included). I am a known runner in my village, and my friends had egged me on,” Walvi said.

Soon, there was a commotion. Most had missed the flag-off sign and the whistle in the din. But as the runners streamed out, there was a settling down of sorts and people lined up on both sides of the road to cheer them.

Most were running for the heck of it — to get the feel of an event that brings this city of many-hued folks together. Some ran to test themselves — age, sex and health no hurdle.

Joining them was a motley group of do-gooders running for a cause, corporate employees aiming to bond as a team, Page 3 types looking to get clicked, top cops, dabbawallas — even heart patients and senior citizens. Some others ran because it sounded very “happening” over dinner with friends.

Ravi Lakhotia, though, wanted something to actually happen. “I’m here to find a special someone. You never know…. With so many gym-trained bodies out there, it sure is a date-seekers’ paradise,” the stockbroker said.

A gaggle of girls from Sophia College had more or less similar ambitions.

“Last year, a friend of ours hooked up with the guy she had a crush on by pretending to faint on him. We’ll repeat that on the eye-candies one is sure to spot here today,” one of them giggled.

It was only the professional athletes, taking part from across the world, who ran the entire 26-mile (42km) stretch. The other events included a 21km half-marathon, a senior citizens’ run, a wheelchair event and a 6km “dream run” — the most popular.

Defending champion John Kelai of Kenya and Ethiopian Mulu Seboka won the men’s and women’s marathons.

“I ran a short stretch. It’s time to egg others on now,” said Pratima Zaveri whose entire family was out on Peddar Road, handing out water in plastic cups to the runners.

She offered a cup to Anil Ambani and his co-runners as they jogged past. But they were too focused for a sideward glance.

The runners had a long way to go: it was a test of endurance. Besides, plastic cups are not the happiest accessory in a marathon dedicated to environment and conservation.