We are happy to herald the 8th edition of the Skechers Performance Chennai Marathon on the 5th of January, 2020. Second in size only to TCS Mumbai Marathon, this beautiful run saw over 26,000 runners participate across the four race categories the last year. This year, the popular marathon category (with a flat course and a super early start to beat the heat), the half marathon, the 20 miler (32.1k) and the 10k return in all their glory.
What makes this race so spectacular is that, for the organisers, Chennai Runners, this is an annual family affair. The 17 (yes, that many!) chapters of Chennai Runners - which are essentially neighbourhoods with fun names like Pettai Rappers, Chromepet Cheetahs and Marina Minnals - run together all year long. Their families know one another, they train and travel to various races together and when its time, they organise their home run together.
To read more about the race experience last year, and see if you want to be part of that magic, read our coverage of the 2019 race here.
Not just content to be a homegrown race, the event also offers a chance to make your run meaningful. With the ground water situation reaching critical levels this year in Chennai, the focus is to revive lakes, and you can do that by signing up to raise funds for that. Or, you could contribute to a friend already doing this. Check out the SPCM GiveIndia page for more. There are other charity partners, such as Isha Vidya for Education, Vasantham School and Home for People with Special Needs, and Amar Seva Sangam.
Aravind, aka Coach A of Metamorphosis is helping runners train right. There are multiple options: a standard 16-week training plan is available for all runners. Depending on level of customisation and support needed, two other training plans are available for runners to pick from. Further details are here.
... stay together! The story of how in 12 short years, Chennai Runners have managed to grow from a series of neighbourhood races in ECR to the second largest marathon in the country is a fascinating one.
Entrepreneurs planning to scale, please take note: the neighbourhood-based chapters first formed, and started acting as nodal centres for growing the running movement in Chennai. The groups were so warm and friendly that families soon started interacting, and during season and off-season, folks started meeting each other socially. This became a tight-knit community that experienced the highs and lows of life together. After that level of bonding, almost anything else was easy to accomplish... such as organising a mammoth race with only volunteers.
There are fully supported training runs leading up to the race, so that you can experience near-racing conditions as you mile up gradually with your LSD Sunday runs. The training run routes are clearly marked, so you can assemble and start at the allotted time, run through the route given, and experience full hydration support. Aid station locations are clearly marked for all runners to see and follow on the Chennai Runners social media platforms.
The team is going full swing with planning and ensuring that all the needs of the runners are met, and you get a warm Vanakkam when you arrive at the race and a Pakkalaam as you leave. Indeed, so confident are they, that you will return to this warm race (which has nothing to do with legendary Chennai weather), they're committing to seeing you again.
All racers across the four categories get a racer kit with a timing chip for the race, a finisher medal for all successful finishers, an exclusive SPCM 2020 tee, and post race refreshments.
There is also a race for the differently abled, as there was the previous year.
Coming up in Chennai. Registrations are open for individuals and corporates!
So... See you there?
© 2026 Veloscope
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