Army organizes marathon for peace, harmony in J&K

Over 800 people of different age groups Sunday turned up for a marathon organised by the Army in border district of Rajouri to promote "peace and harmony" in Jammu and Kashmir, a defence official said.

'Rajouri Marathon 2018' saw an overwhelming response from civilians and defence personnel in diversified age categories as the participants hit the track early in the morning, the defence spokesperson said.

The imperatives of health consciousness and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan under the motto of Swacch Rajouri, Swasth Rajouri aur Sundar Rajouri were also propagated, he said.

The official said the run was divided into three different categories as per the length of the route.

"It was overwhelming to see that the youngest runner was aged just eight years old while the veterans were led by a 61-year-old," the spokesman said adding, the entire town joined the celebrations by lining up all along the designated route and cheered the runners.

A Zumba warm-up preceded the marathon as the participants danced to the tunes of peppy music and carried on the enthusiasm right till the finish line, the official said.

The grand finale was graced by scores of dignitaries from military, paramilitary, civil administration, police and political arenas who were there to participate in the gala event, he added.

The runners were presented with T-shirts and medals to acknowledge their participation.

In addition, there were numerous cash incentives as well.

The first prize in the 10 km category of Rs 10,000 was won by Mandeep and Choudhary Iftekar Ahmed in their respective age groups, he said.

Similarly, the first prize in five km category of Rs 5,000 was bagged by Balwinder Singh while in the three km category, Manzoor Hussain and Mukhtiyar Hussain came on top, he added.

The marathon furthered the sense of mutual trust and belonging between various strata of the society and was a live example of unity in diversity, the official said.

The notions of fitness, health consciousness and 'Swachhta' were reinforced through this platform in all residents especially in the hearts and minds of the youth of this region, the spokesperson added.