On the sixth day of youth festival Yuvotsav, athletes, both amateur and professional, from all over the country ran together in half marathon ‘Ran-O-Thon’ to spread the message of youth awareness. More than 8,000 runners participated in the 21-km-long run, which started from Morhabadi Ground early in the morning.
The race saw participation from athletes from Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Delhi and Karnataka. Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi flagged off the runners participating in the half marathon.
“Such events motivate youngsters to strive ahead in their lives. The youth needs to stay healthy as it is crucial in helping them achieve their goals,” said the Health Minister.
Kunal Sarangi, Member of legislative Assembly from Bahragoda, flagged off the 10-km category of the half marathon, and even participated in the 5-km category. The 21-km and 10-km categories were meant for professionals, whereas the 5-km was for amateur athletes.
Delhi-based athlete Vikas Kumar came first in the boys’ category of half marathon, whereas, Shyamali Singh from Bengaluru won in girls’ category, both winning `51,000 as prize money. In the 10-km event, Santosh Ram from lohardaga came first in boys’ category and Preenu Yadav from West Bengal won in girls’ category, both were awarded `15,000.
The top six finishers in the two sections were also awarded. The race was organised by Tourism, Art, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs Department and Round Table, India, in collaboration with telecommunication service provider Airtel as part of the week-long Yuvotsav. The youth festival began on January 12 to mark the 153rd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand.
Special Secretary of the Department, RP Singh, Director Ranendra Singh, senior IPS officer Anil Palta were among the amateur atheletes who particiapated in the half marathon.
later in the evening, six rock bands from Delhi, Bengaluru and Ranchi performed for the crowds of youngsters. The winning band is to be awarded during the closing ceremony of Yuvotsav.