The second edition of the Coal India Marathon 2024 organized by Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) on Sunday under the aegis of Coal India Limited (CIL) with dazzling success. About more than 7500 athletes from across the Country participated in the mega event conducted in four categories: 42.198 km of full marathon, 21.098 km of half marathon, 10 km run and a 5 km run.
This was the second officially registered marathon of Jharkhand in which various bureaucrats, defence force personnel and people from all walks of life participated. There were separate categories for women and men. The runners started the marathon from Birsa Munda stadium, Morabadi and after going though Kanke and Pithoria finally returned to the Birsa Munda Stadium. The total prize money for the event was Rs 33.12 Lakhs which was distributed in different categories. The winner of 42 km got Rs 3.3 Lakhs while the half marathon winner in both categories netted Rs 2.2 Lakh. The winner of the 10 km run got Rs 1.1 Lakh.
The full marathon race commenced at 5.00 am and the half marathon race commenced at 5.25 am. The 10 km race started at 5.30 am while the 5 km race began at 8.30 am. The race witnessed the spirited participation of athletes from all regions PAN India, contributing to the tremendous success of this grand event. The event was graced by the esteemed presence of Justice High Court, Jharkhand, SN Pathak, MP Rajya Ssbha, PT Usha, an all time great athelete, Addittional SG, Anil Kumar, Addittional Secretary, MOC, M Nagaraju, Additional Secretary, MoC, Rupinder Brar, Chairman, CIL, PM Prasad ;CMD,CCL, Dr B Veera Reddy, CMD, CMPDIL, Manoj Kumar; Ex-Chairman, CIL, Pramod Agrawal, Director (Personnel), Vinay Ranjan, Director (Marketing), CIL, Mukesh Chaudhary, Director (BD), CIL, Debashish Nanda, CVO ,CIL, Brajesh Kumar Tripathi , Secretary (Mines and Agriculture ), Aboobacker Siddique, Secretary (Sports), Manoj Kumar and IPS, Akhilesh Jha.
IPS, YS Ramesh, Director (T/O) CCL, Ram Baboo Prasad, Director (P), CCL, Harsh Nath Mishra ; Director (Finance),CCL and Pawan Kumar Mishra.
There was a sense of jubilation in the air, which was amplified by the loud music, LED screens where the event was streaming live and the amazing arrangement of the organizers. The runners braved the early morning chill to participate in the event and complete the run. The arrangements for the marathon included facilities like a medical point, hydration point, entertainment programs and energy stations. Enthusiasm was electrifying when this group of some of the best runners in the country were enjoying the scenic beauty of Ranchi while competing with each other.
Chairman CIL, PM Prasad stated Coal India Limited is organizing this event to create awareness about the importance of physical fitness amongst the public. CMD, CCL Dr B Veera Reddy said that such events will foster a spirit of sportsmanship, camaraderie amongst the people and the company will continue organizing such events in future. Director (Personnel), CIL, Vinay Ranjan expressed his delight at the successful completion of the event. Rajya Sabha MP, PT Usha have also encouraged the public to participate in the marathon and expressed their delight that the Marathon was being organized in Ranchi. The Athletic federation of India provided the technical support for the event.
Pramod Agrawal also congratulated the organizers for successfully conducting the event and hoped that such events will encourage a new generation of runners in Jharkhand who will make the state and country proud.
The runners who came from different parts of the country were extremely happy with the facilities provided during the marathon and said that Coal India should keep on organizing such events in the future also.
The top rank in the Full Marathon men's 42 km category was secured by Akshay Kumar, who clocked a time of 2 Hr twenty minutes and thirty-eight seconds while Hemant Kumar stood second. In the female category of the full marathon, Sonika from Haryana was first and she completed the run in 2 Hrs forty-four minutes and twelve seconds, while Reenu secured the second position. In the half marathon of 21 km male category, Puneet Kumar bagged the first prize with a timing of One Hr five minute and seventeen seconds while in women category Renu Singh a railway employee from Uttar Pradesh secured the first position.
Over a hundred technical officers from the Athletic Federation of India and Jharkhand Athletics federation along with volunteers and security personnel, emergency medical team, from CCL left no stone unturned to make the event a success. The entire premise and the route was cleaned by the company after the completion of the event.
