Click to play videoMumbai: Warming up for her fifth Marathon in a row, two-time national winner of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, Liliamma has been using the Marine Lines promenade as her training ground.
Liliamma says the Marathon has changed the way the city perceives its athletes.
"Earlier people used to think we are stupid. Today they run and appreciate us and in turn they are getting fitter by taking part in such events," she says.
More than 1,000 Indian runners both men and women will be running the full Marathon and 7,400 are participating in the 21-kilometer half Marathon.
And what's making the athletes proud is that the gap between the national winners and the overall winners has been rapidly closing over the years.
"There is competition everywhere as more and more new athletes are doing well now," Satyabhama, Indian women national full marathon record holder, says.
It is with an aim to record a hat-trick of her wins that Liliamma has been training late into the afternoon each day.
"I have won two races here would love to do a hat-trick in my city," she adds.
Like previous Marathon Liliamma efforts will be cheered by millions of Mumbaikars who will line the streets on Sunday morning.
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