This is a quandary of the cardiovascular kind. Runners and cyclists who take to their heels and wheels early morning are struggling with whether to shelve their training/early morning fitness exercise with deteriorating air quality, or simply soldier on. A glance around on city mornings sees the doughty fleet of foot and pedal pounding our roads. Nevertheless, “the pollution factor is a significant concern,” said all runners, cyclists.
Breath taking
P Venkataraman, running coach and running evangelist, said, “Running is usually about length (the distance run). Today, though, the talk is all about breath. How do we breathe through our daily runs? Is being outdoors actually detrimental rather than beneficial? These debates are a big part of the community’s conversation today.”
Ravi Agarwal is one with his machine
The coach said, “There are parts of the city where the AQI (Air Quality Index) is very high. One way to tackle this is to run near the sea… the Marine Drive or Carter Road promenade, or the Shivaji Park, Worli promenade, to some extent. But having said that, one has to accede that not all runners have access to these places. It is especially concerning since there is a propensity to intake higher pollutants with every breath while running.
One may try to wear a mask and run, but not everybody is able to run masked. Those with respiratory problems, like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), may be better off running indoors on a treadmill, in a room with good filtration air-conditioning. We need to adapt in small ways.”
Venkataraman revels in the joy of running. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
We have the city’s marquee long-distance running event — the Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) — on January 18, 2026. There is some humour amidst the haze. Long-distance running should be ‘lung-distance’ running, quipped some. SoBo runner Suresh Rathod said, “Wearing a mask may interfere with the breathing pattern of runners.”
Wheel wishers
Bhuleshwar resident Ravi Agarwal, founder of SoBo Cyclists, said, “Pollution while pedalling is certainly top of the mind for regular cyclists. This is also high season for the two-wheeled fleet, so people are asking themselves: ‘Do we go out and cycle for endurance or do not go out at all?’ That’s the situation most of us are in.’
Suresh Rathod is about medals and mileage
Agarwal emphasised, “Pollution exists outside Mumbai too, and I am not talking about Delhi. I was cycling near Lonavala, passing some villages, and experienced the same foggy, hazy conditions. If there is one small thing in our control, it is to ensure that all those ‘bonfires’ that people huddle around, especially during early mornings in buildings etc, should not be allowed, as these too contribute to the problem. Instead of leaving everything to the government, we need to reduce dependency on cars. For short distances like up to 2-km, one can walk. For a little further, those who can must think about cycling and try to use public transport as much as possible.”
Steam spirit
Santacruz runner Nihar Mehta, who is set to run the 21-km in the TMM in January, said, “Lots of advice is also being dished out by non-exercisers. Some of them who tell people not to go out and run may be well-meaning. Yet, I find it hilarious that those who are advising runners at times, warning them against pollution, are smokers themselves! In the end, I think it is about a balancing act. Maybe, when back from running, one can do a longer steam inhalation. Even a treadmill in a gym may be helpful, but then again, several gyms do not allow members to run for more than 20 minutes on a treadmill at peak hours, as there are waiting lines.”
Mehta concluded by summing up the sentiments of a community that believes running is the healing soup for the ‘sole’ (pun intended).
