Bolstering the efforts of Mumbaikars towards becoming more accomplished distance runners, Talwalkars, with 100 of their own trainers and 60 external trainers, in association with Procam International, organized a three-day Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2008 Training Workshop at the IMA Hall, Juhu from October 11 to 13, 2007. After the workshop, 13 from the 100 were certified as Master Trainers and 4 were certified as stars.

Renowned distance running expert Ian Ladbrooke, along with Zak Kihara, an elite athlete from Kenya, conducted the workshop for the trainers nominated by Talwalkars. These trainers will in turn move out to different areas of Mumbai and Thane, offering scientific and organized training to every running enthusiast who harbours hopes of challenging one's self to run in and complete the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon.

Having been in the fitness industry for 75 years, Talwalkars is well equipped with world class fitness equipments both strength & cardio treadmills, tread climbers, ellipticals, spin-cycles in order to provide the required training.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Prashant Talwalkar, Managing Director, Talwalkars said, “The undisputable fact today is that Talwalkars is a leader of sorts in the fitness industry. As an official fitness trainer for the StanChart marathon, we are not only broadening our area of expertise but inching close towards our vision of making fitness a religion for every individual.”

Elucidating the need for training for participants of the Standard Chartered Marathon he added, “Participants enrolling into our training programme can feel assured of reaching the finishing line and bask in a sense of achievement which I am sure has been the exclusive privilege of few trained marathon runners until now!”

Prashant Talwalkar also used the occasion to announce 10-year free memberships to the first 10 Indian finishers in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon.

Vivek B. Singh, Jt. Managing Director of Procam International said, “…….

The workshop dealt with various aspects of distance running like the principles of endurance training and cross training; diet and nutrition; injury prevention and treatment; running kit; health issues and training schedules.

Talwalkars, through their trainers, will be offering training packages to corporate establishments, residential societies and running enthusiasts to get them fit and running before the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2008.

A 75 days training schedule, formulated by Ian Ladbrooke, will be followed by the Master Trainers, who will supervise the training sessions. These sessions will be conducted from the 13 Talwalkar Fitness Centres in Mumbai and Thane. The training sessions are designed to include both indoor as well as outdoor training sessions. In a week, one session will be held inside the gym and two will be held outside.

Ladbrooke’s team also trained one head Dietician, one Doctor and one Physiotherapist.

Enlisted are the Talwalkars centres where the indoor training will take place under the guidance of the Master Trainer and other certified trainers:

The outdoor training sessions will be conducted at the ground nearest to the Talwalkars centers.

Training will start from November 1^st and will continue till the date of the Marathon.

Talwalkars has also set up a helpline - 65258585 and a website marathon.training@talwalkars.net for the event.

About Talwalkars
Talwalkars Better Value Fitness Pvt. Ltd (TBVF) established in 1932 popularly known as Talwalkars, is India's largest chain of health centers. With over 100,000 members and close to 50 existing branches, Talwalkars is the only health care chain in India to have set up ultramodern branches in most of the major cities across the country.

The success of Talwalkars can be attributed to their personalized approach towards their customer which includes proficient advice & supervision from an in house team of dieticians & physiotherapists. By leveraging its expertise of over 75 years, Talwalkars specializes in innovative programmes such as the Personal Exercise Programme (PEP), body sculpting and body shaping which ensures that their customers not only gain the desired results but at the same time make exercising an enjoyable experience. In addition, Talwalkars continuously engage in facility upgrades by bringing in state-of-the-art gym equipments that provides world class benefits to their patrons.

Talwalkars Nutrition Centre which is a part of every branch provides simple, effective and scientific ways to lose and gain weight. Their programmes include daily diet counseling, exercising, and steam and sauna baths. The recently established Research and Development (R&D) department in conceptualizes health programmes that is tailor made to suit every individual needs.

About Procam International
Procam International is a full-fledged sports and leisure management company, involved in sports consultancy, innovative television programming, celebrity endorsements and brand management.

In 1988, with a vision to provide a more holistic spend to the advertising rupee and a burning desire to ameliorate the prevailing professional standards for sportsmen, Anil Singh and Vivek Singh created Procam International.

At a time when sports was considered the private domain of Federations, who ran it as their own personal fiefdoms, two people dared to dream large dreams and stand up for what they believed in.

Operating on the principles of an open culture, with an emphasis on values and integrity that are uncommon in today's Machiavellian world, is what the Singh brothers have based their corporate culture.

Procam International has promoted and conducted over 25 world events in the last 18 years. These prestigious events have elicited player participation of the highest caliber as well as huge public interest. This has established Procam International as the leading sports events creator in India. The professionalism, attention to detail and dedication has won the company the faith of its sponsors and resulted in long-term associations.