After the rain cleared up in the morning the air was crisp and cool, providing the perfect conditions for a marathon the participant across the city of Bhopal gathered at the starting point LAL Parade Ground for the half marathon organized by the State Bank of India (SBI) LHO Bhopal today 19/03/2023 on the theme "Run for Health." The marathon was aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle among the employees and customers of SBI.

The marathon "Run for Health" in which over 1200 employees and 400 customers from various branches across the city participated. The marathon was in three categories of 5, 10, and 21 KM and witnessed an enthusiastic response from the participants who ran with full vigor and enthusiasm.

Well-known personalities from Bhopal and surrounding areas participated in the marathon, including Principal Secretary Aniruddhe Mukerjee IAS, Principal Secretary Deepti Gaur Mukherjee IAS & Chief General Manager of SBI Bhopal Circle, Binod Kumar Mishra.

Mishra expressed his views on the importance of fitness and health he spoke about the challenges of running and compared the difficulty of maintaining a consistent pace during practice with that of race day. He said, "Every race is a question and we never know what the answer will be until the last yard. That's the attraction of racing." He expressed his commitment to fitness and health and praised the efforts of the participants. He assured everyone that such activities would continue in the future.

He appreciated the effort put in by the participants and assured that such activities would be carried out in the future too. He also emphasized the importance of customers and customer service & quoted Mahatma Gandhi's words, "A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work, he is the purpose of it. We are not doing him any favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to serve him."

The event was attended by the General Managers of the Bhopal circle, including SS Taragi, B L Saini, and Niraj Prasad. Deepak Kumar Jha, Deputy General Manager and Circle Development Officer of Bhopal Circle, Lokesh Chandra DGM (B&O) Bhopal Module also shared their views on the importance of a healthy lifestyle and how it enhances the quality of life. Other senior officers of the top management were also present at the event.

The marathon also served as a platform for SBI to promote its marketing efforts and also in line with the celebration of Aazadi Kaa Amrit Mohotsav. The bank aimed to send a message about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and the importance of fitness and also to develop a cordial relationship with its customers too.

The event witnessed participants from all walks of life and various age groups.

5 Kms- Hemant and Ms Priya Yadav ( Below 50 Yrs ), Sunil Kumar Chaturvedi and Shobha Surana ( Above 50 Yrs)

10 Kms- Arunpal Singh Tutega & Himani Sharma ( Below 50 Yrs), Lokesh Chandra & Madhavi Garg ( Above 50 Yrs)

21 Kms- Mahesh Shirke & Shikha Yadav ( Below 50 Yrs ), Anant Dixit & Kiran Bharadwaj (Above 50 Yrs).