Organisational lapses marred the 13th edition of the Wipro Bengaluru Marathon here on Sunday, with several runners complaining of inadequate water supply and poor crowd management.
All the water stations were empty. “Many of the 5K runners were walking at this stage. “In keeping with our green principles, we served water in jars and reusable cups, not bottles.
Ekta Sirohi, who ran the half-marathon, said, “After around the 10-km mark, there was no water available.
Participants said water was unavailable at some stations, while congestion caused by runners from different categories affected the timings. Another participant said some well-wishers who had gathered along the route came to the runners’ aid by purchasing water bottles from nearby shops and distributing them. On the other hand, we came in at a good speed and could not get past them,” a half-marathon runner said. NEB Sports CMD Nagaraj Adiga acknowledged the lapses and said the organisers would take the runners’ feedback into account. There was a delay in refilling these jars in one section of the route,” Adiga told The Hindu . “We are considering distributing water bottles all along the route from the next edition onwards,” he said.
“We want to ensure that every single participant has a good experience.
Our team will analyse all feedback and make the necessary improvements,” Adiga said.