Chhattisgarh Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Umesh Patel announced that ‘Raipur Half Marathon’ will be an annual feature now.
This year around 31,000 international and national-level athletes registered their names for the event. More athletes will have an opportunity to take part in the run, once it’s held annually. This will also provide platform to local talents to hone their skills further, the minister said.
The minister was addressing the participants before flagging of the race near Shahid Veer Narayan International Cricket Stadium, Atal Nagar on Sunday morning.
A large number of people cutting across age-groups, including differently-abled citizens, took part in the marathon organised by the Sports and Youth Welfare Department in different categories. For the first time, to promote home-grown talents, the, ‘State Selected Category’ and ‘Blade Runner’ categories were included.
Rajya Sabha member Chaya Verma said, “Morning’s fresh air acts as medicine to the body while running helps to develop healthy body”. Raipur West MLA Vikas Upadhayay said, “The marathon provides an identity to a ‘metro capital city’. Such regular events also provide platform to players.”
