One of the longest marathons in Asia has been flagged off from India Gate. GANITA reports
It is one of the longest and most challenging marathons in Asia. It will test the resilience of even the most experienced of the pack. The 1480 km long run, India’s first multi-city marathon features fifteen of the best ultra-marathoners from across four continents. Truly a pan-India event, The Great India Run will pass through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, finally culminating at Mumbai in Maharasthra on the 6th of August.
The contingent consists of Arun Bhardwaj, Siddharth Choudhary, David Bredo, Yuri Esperson, Meenal Kotak, Ranjana Deopa, Melanie Delaney, Joginder Chandna, Dinesh Heda, Sreekanth Reddi, Pia Hansson, Shweta Sharma, Sunil Sharma, Dhanaee Kumar and Kaushal Chauhan. It is India’s first multi city marathon conceptualised by ProSportify in association with MobieFit Technologies.
It was flagged off in a gala ceremony at the Iconic Amar Jawan Jyoti in India Gate.
The event kicked off with a warm up session of the participating 15 ultra runners followed by flagging off the ultra run and 5k fun run. In a celebration of sport, Honorable Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Vijay Goel, Khel Ratna Anju Bobby George, and Gul Panag who is the Co-Founder of MobieFit Technologies, an avid runner and a fitness advocate were present.
“The aim of this endeavor is to urge our countrymen to actively focus on their fitness and well-being. Through The Great India Run we also aim to showcase what phenomenal milestones a disciplined runner can achieve”, said Gul Panag.
Arun Bhardwaj led the team of 14 ultra runners at India Gate while three of the runners simultaneously flagged off the event from Ghaziabad.
At around 10:30 am all runners culminated at Kingdom of Dreams, Gurugram to kick start the Haryana leg of TGIR.
The thought behind the event is the dream of a fit India and it aims to be an annual feature in the Indian sporting calendar. In order to support the message, the mega-run features a 5k Fun Run at every pit stop for enthusiasts to venture into what is the most natural sport in the world.
Silvassa also falls on the special route through which Milind Soman will – pass through on his 570 km stretch from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. With the spirit of the run in mind, proceeds from the Fun runs that have been organised will go to the Go Sports Foundation to support the dreams of the country's future Olympians. “It's a proud day for us to launch India's first multi city marathon event which features -some of the exceptional runners from the world. TGIR is definitely not for the faint-hearted, as participants will be facing the additional challenge of running through the wee hours, climatic conditions etc.
I'd also like to thank Shri Vijay Goel ji for gracing the occasion with his presence, and Anju Bobby George who has been an inspiration to the youth of the nation,” said Kartikeya Sharma, Founder and Promoter iTV Network and Managing Director of ProSportify.
