Gopi, Kheta Ram primed for IDBI Marathon

Thonakal Gopi and Kheta Ram are set for the second edition of the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Marathon at the Jawaharlal Stadium, to be held here on Sunday.

Gopi will be eyeing the marathon title this year. At Rio, he registered his personal best timing of 2:15:25, while Kheta Ram was just a second behind his compatriot, clocking 2:15:26 to complete the race.

Setting the pace in the half-marathon category is Olympian Kheta Ram, who won a marathon in Mumbai last month by completing the race in 2:19:51.

Also competing for the title is G. Lakshmanan, who won the Mumbai Half Marathon last month, completing the race in 1:05:05.

Man Singh and M.D. Yunush will also be looking to better their timings and give their best in this edition of the race.

Women elite is represented by Jyothi Gawate with a timing of 2:50:37 for marathon and Monika Athare with a timing of 1:15:38 for half-marathon.

With 1000 participants registered for the 42km run, 6,000 for the 21km, 2,000 for the 10km and 4000 for the 5km run, the event will witness more than 13,vt000 participants at the start-line.

The prize money for the race is Rs 27 lakh spread across various categories.

Commenting on the occasion, race Director Nagaraj Adiga from NEB Sports said: "The good weather and the flat course should help many elite and amateur runners achieve their personal best."

--IANS

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