Over 15,000 Kolkatans gear up for the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Kolkata Marathon
The 9th edition of IDBI Federal Life Insurance Kolkata Marathon, that will be flagged on Sunday, 6 March 2016 from Red Road will witness participation from over 15,000 enthusiastic runners. The IDBI Federal Life Insurance Kolkata Marathon expo event opened today amidst great fanfare.
In order to kick off the much-awaited marathon event of Eastern India, a foot-tapping and catchy anthem was launched celebrating the joyous spirit of Kolkata. Celebrities like June Maliah, Payel Sarkar, Nirmal Chettri, Gurbux Singh and Noomi Mehta also graced the occasion with their presence and pledged to truly ‘Run For Kolkata’.
This year amateur runners will get a chance to run alongside 50 elite athletes of the country. Elite athletes like Sindhu Yadav, Rashmi Gurumule, Girish Tiwari, M.D. Yunus, B. Prakash, B. Patel, Bahadur Singh Dhoni and many more will run the marathon to qualify for the prestigious Rio Olympics.
Ultra marathoners Kavin Kondabathini, Limca Record holders Sangeeta and Sunil Shetty from Mumbai are also participating for this inaugural edition. Apart from this, we will also see participation from senior citizens, blade runners, youngsters, corporate teams, first-time runners truly showcasing Kolkata’s growing fitness culture and can-do spirit.
The Full Marathon (42.195 km) distance and the Half Marathon (21.095 km) would distribute Rs. 16 lakhs in prize money across various categories. In this inclusive marathon a number of NGOs will be participating shoulder to shoulder with all the participants to build awareness for various causes:
- The Full Marathon to start (42.195 km) at 5.30 am
- Half Marathon (21.097 km)to start at 6.00 am
- Corporate Run and Open run (10.00 km) to start at 6.30 am and Fun Run (5 km)
The marathon boasts of robust security and medical arrangements with Kolkata Police and Apollo Hospitals, respectively, extending complete support for the Eastern India’s biggest full marathon.
There will be ample supply of refreshments along the course for the runners. With conducive weather conditions, great roads, adequate medical assistance at hand, this marathon promises to be one exciting and memorable experience for the people of Kolkata.