Mumbai: Surprisingly, India's most-congested city isn't runner's hell. Some of the best places to run are right by the sea, and the occasionally magnificent sunsets can make the run special. But as with many other things, South Bombay is favoured-it's hard to find nice places in many suburban areas.

Mahalaxmi Race Course: One of my favourites. The dirt track inside the turf track (horses only!) is wide enough to accommodate both walkers and runners. I like the early morning, when you'll see race horses thundering past on the adjoining training track.

Marine Drive: I don't like the concrete surface-it is absolutely the worst surface to run on.

Joggers Park, Bandra: You'll run along a forgiving dirt track round a landscaped garden. Too short, and too many people per square metre, though. Many of whom haven't come for the nice views-the track's features include a quite considerable display of feminine pulchritude. Some of them even run.

Colaba Woods: Conflates the unlikely combination of Mumbai and lots of trees. I like the path, which snakes about, and gives you the variety that tracks lack.

Chennai's Marina Beach: Besant Nagar's is better

Chennai: It helps to have access to places like the Indian Institute of Technology's huge campus (the greenery tends to keep it a few degrees cooler than elsewhere in this oven masquerading as a metropolis) or the MCC's Chepauk stadium. I settle for Besant Nagar beach. Sand running really works your muscles, but watch out for injuries from running on a surface that slopes sideways.

Bangalore: I haven't quite figured out why people continue calling it the Garden City. Still, you're not entirely without choice. Cubbon Park, the city's green heart, is large and very, very easy on the eye. Several Bangalore roads are nice to run along outside of rush hour, but the stretch from Domlur to Jayanagar along the Ring Road skirts the green belt surrounding the airport-this area isn't built up, so unlike many other routes you don't feel hemmed in. You'll also get the same sense running around Ulsoor Lake.

Shanta Biotech's ED Khalil Ahmed at Hyd's National Park

Hyderabad: A confession: I haven't run in Hyd, but people tell me the Brahmananda Reddy National Park is the place to hit if you want to exercise your legs and the lungs as well. It offers a four-km long track and is home to some rare species of birds and butterflies. It also houses the former Nizam's Chiran Palace.

Delhi's Lodhi Gardens: Its 600-year old mausoleums are an attraction

Delhi: One of the very few things I like about this monstrosity of a city is the abundance of nice places to run. My favourites:

Lutyens' Delhi/Chanakyapuri Diplomatic Enclave: Plutocrats and politicians call it home. For serious runners it's a great place to cut loose; the broad, tree-lined avenues and relative absence of traffic and pedestrians invite speed. My favourite route takes in 13 winding kilometres past Teen Murti, Shanti Path and Lodhi Gardens. You're running on tarmac, but it isn't the nightmare that non-runners make it out to be-though it's critical to have the right shoes.

Lodhi Gardens: Brilliant running, but beware of ambling bureaucrats.