Four years later, Angad on Sunday clocked 1 hour and 45 minutes. Angad, who has become the poster boy of the city’s spirited response to this annual run, hasn’t just grown with the event but has also kept pace with it.

The sight of Angad being taken to the starting line by his mother, his wobbly but confident short steps and the frequent breaks he takes sitting on the plastic chair that his sister carries prove that marathon efforts aren’t always limited to those who run 42 km.

“It was just a one-and-half-hour run but it also happens to be a test of an entire year’s effort that Angad puts in. This is the day when we come to know about his new physical development benchmark,” says sister Gursimran. The big smile on the faces of this family of four, as they enjoy a late afternoon lunch at Bombay Gymkhana, makes it clear that Angad has once again raised the bar, phenomenally this time.

Father Gurpinder Dugal, 56, recalls the 3 hours 30 minutes effort during the inaugural run to give an idea about how far Angad has come. “He did not stop even when his feet started bleeding after an hour into the run. He had tears in his eyes. He had to be hospitalised for a month,” says the father.

Sister, father and mother Harpreet call themselves ‘Angad’s logistic support’, and also acknowledge the support of several Mumbaities around the course. “After the way in which the city cheered for him, he never gave up. He makes sure that he prepares himself diligently every year,” says Gursimran. “Besides, he loves seeing himself in the papers next day. He always has a smile when he sees a cameraman,” the sister adds.