MAM
Running the show HRX half marathon returns bigger, fitter and faster
MUMBAI: Lace up, breathe deep and pick your pace HRX is back on track, quite literally. India’s homegrown fitness brand HRX has announced the fourth edition of the HRX Half Marathon, set to take over Mumbai’s Bandra Fort on 15 March 2026, with more than 3,000 runners expected to hit the road. Designed for everyone from seasoned runners to first-time joggers, the event continues HRX’s push to make running accessible, inclusive and refreshingly pressure-free.
Launched in 2021, the HRX Half Marathon has steadily evolved into a community-led fitness fixture, championing consistency over competition and movement over medals. The 2026 edition stays true to that philosophy, offering runners three clearly defined race categories 21K Half Marathon, Fast 10 (10K) and Rave5 (5K) encouraging participation across age groups and fitness levels.
This year’s run is powered by Clear Premium Water, with Country Delight joining as the high-protein nutrition partner under the Mission Protein India initiative, and Cult Fit stepping in as the recovery partner. Eatfit will provide healthy beverages, while the event also marks the debut of HRX Luggage by Escape Plan and HRX Fragrances as partners, expanding the brand’s lifestyle footprint beyond fitness apparel.
Every registered participant will receive an official HRX running T-shirt, a high-protein meal, protein shake, sustainable tote bag with merchandise, finisher’s medal, and HRX fragrance samples, blending performance with experience rather than pure race-day pressure.
Registrations are now live on India Running, one of the country’s leading race registration platforms.
HRX Founder Hrithik Roshan said the event’s real success lies in its diversity of runners rather than podium finishes. “With each edition, the HRX Half Marathon has grown stronger as a community. No age barriers, no intimidation, just people coming together to move. That inclusivity is what makes this event special,” he said.
HRX business and marketing head Ajay Singh added that the 2026 edition sharpens focus on two core themes, mindful hydration and protein awareness. “Running at Bandra Fort remains a favourite with participants, and this year we’re doubling down on nutrition and recovery to enhance the overall runner experience,” he said.
With its fourth outing, the HRX Half Marathon continues to shift the conversation from elite endurance to everyday movement proving that when it comes to fitness, the most important step is simply starting.
AD Agencies
Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
