Half marathon to propogate soil health

Visakhapatnam: Subramanya Sharma Challa, a 58-year-old chartered civil engineer from Visakhapatnam, completed the 21.1-km half marathon at the Vizag Half Marathon 2026 organised in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

The marathon aimed at raising awareness about soil health through running.

He has been building awareness on the subject for the past four and a half years. Carrying the ‘Save Soil’ flag across Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Kakinada, Amalapuram, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Goa, Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur and Balangir, Sharma has covered approximately 7,500 kilometers so far.

Speaking after completing the run, Sharma said, “There is a lot of awareness today about air pollution and water pollution, but we don’t talk enough about the soil beneath our feet.”

Sharma began running for the spiritual leader Sadhguru’s Save Soil movement around four and a half years ago and has since used running events and long-distance runs to speak to people about the importance of maintaining healthy soil. The Save Soil Movement, envisioned by Sadhguru, seeks to raise awareness about the soil crisis and encourage policies and agricultural practices that reverse soil degradation and strengthen soil health.

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The Hans India