New Delhi, April 19 -- The world's oldest and most storied marathon, the Boston Marathon, will take place on Monday. When hundreds of Indian runners line up at the start, they will be buoyed by the fact that Sawan Barwal broke the 48-year-old national marathon record, finishing the Rotterdam Marathon in 2:11:58 last Sunday. Hundreds more will be fired up by the significantly improved timings of Indian long-distance athletes in recent years as they prepare to line up the following Sunday for another Abbott World Major race, the London Marathon (April 26) - the last of the spring races.

According to available data, the Boston and London races are the most popular among runners from India. The second half of the season resumes in autumn wit...