Water shortages and crowding disrupt Wipro Bengaluru Marathon

Runners at the 13th Wipro Bengaluru Marathon in Bengaluru on Sunday, September 27, 2026, reported inadequate water supply and congestion along the route. The event, organised by NEB Sports, drew around 45,000 participants across four categories: Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K.

Organisational lapses were cited by several participants, who said water stations ran dry and crowd management problems affected race flow. Complaints focused on empty water points and the merging of different race categories on shared sections of the course.

Ekta Sirohi, who ran the half-marathon, described the water situation on the course: “After around the 10-km mark, there was no water available. All the water stations were empty.”

Another participant said some well-wishers who had gathered along the route purchased water bottles from nearby shops and distributed them to runners.

Runners reported congestion at about the 18km mark, where participants in the Full Marathon and Half Marathon began to merge with those in the 10K and 5K. “Many of the 5K runners were walking at this stage. 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 problems and outlined measures under consideration. “In keeping with our green principles, we served water in jars and reusable cups, not bottles. 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 also said the organisers were considering holding the 10K and 5K events a day before the Full Marathon and Half Marathon to prevent different categories from merging on the route.

Full marathon results: Elite men: Bugatha Srinu (02:22:53); Elite women: Bhagirathi (03:00:18). Half marathon results: Men: Ankit Gupta (01:09:12); Women: Sugandha Sharma (01:34:55).

Adiga said the organisers would review feedback and make improvements: “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.