HYD MARATHON GROWS IN PRESTIGE

The third edition of the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon, touted as one of the toughest marathons in India (in terms of terrain and weather conditions), was held on Sunday. The marathon was flagged off by M T Krishna Babu, Commissioner, GHMC; Anurag Sharma, Commissioner of Police and Ramesh Menon, Hub CEO – AP, MP & CG, Bharti Airtel from the picturesque Husain Sagar Lake on Necklace Road. The marathon featured 5 categories of races – Full Marathon (42.195K), Half Marathon (21.095K), Marathon Relay (4x10.5K), 5K Run and CXO Run.

Apart from Hyderabadis, the event saw heavy participation from people from other states including 10 different countries. Overall, there were about 6000 people who participated at the event, which culminated at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Gachibowli. The aim of this year’s marathon was to host one of the cleanest marathons in the country. Volunteers from different organisations like Waste Warriors and Sant Nirankari Mission ensured in the success of that mission.

The organisation of the event was top notch with the police well armed to safeguard the interests of the runners throughout the entire stretch. There were a lot of traffic diversions across the city and most of the flyovers en route were earmarked for the runners. No vehicular traffic was permitted onto the flyovers until 9am. Before the run began, several announcements were made to ensure the safety of runners. There were also medical officials along the track, who were equipped with ointments and pain relief sprays.

Speaking on the occasion, Ramesh Menon said, “The Airtel Hyderabad Marathon has become a sporting event that now features as a must attend on a runners calendar. We are glad to have brought out the third Edition this year which saw record participation from runners across different walks of life.”

Cash prizes were awarded for the first three positions in marathon and half marathon races in men’s and women’s races and the top two teams in the relay marathon. Collectively, winners took home, a total prize money of Rs 3.15 lakh. Anton and Maria, a couple from Ukraine, currently undergoing an internship in Pune, came down all the way to Hyderabad just to take part in the marathon. Anton said, “This is my first attempt at a marathon. I am glad that I survived the run. My plan was to finish it under two hours, which I successfully did.” Maria too was happy to have participated in the marathon and wished to complete the run faster in its next edition.

Kashish, a student who is currently pursuing his MBA in Surat, came down to Hyderabad along his three other friends especially for the marathon. He said “The Hyderabad marathon was definitely one of the toughest runs I have ever been a part of. The terrain and the climate were challenging.” He had also participated in a few other marathons in Surat and Mumbai but claimed that this was the toughest marathon he had to endure.