Over 40,000 kids expected at Salwan marathon this year

Over 40,000 children, including 2500 visually impaired and 300 differently-abled, will run in the 21st Salwan Marathon to be organised on November 6 here.
Children from over 800 schools from across India are expected to take part in the run.
Dope and age verification has been made mandatory for the top 20 winners in each category. Multiple cameras and GPS tracking system are also being put in place to track the distance, location and time taken to run the course.
"Started as an initiative to bring out the spirit of courage, grit and determination among kids, focus for Salwan Marathon this year will also be on safety and security of each participant, with over 4000 volunteers, marshals, physical instructors and a heavy deployment of police & officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force," the event's spokesperson Samrata Diwan said in a release.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu's G Lakshmanan clocked 1:05:05 to
win the men's half marathon (21.097 km) race. The second and the third spots went to Sachin Patil (1:06:22) and Deepak Kumbhar (1:06:28). Both hail from Maharashtra's Kolhapur district. Deepak was the defending champion but had to be contended with a third position this year.

In women's category, it was Maharashtra's Monika Athare who clocked a time of 1:19:13 to win the race. While Minakshi Patil from Kolhapur stood second in 1:20:53, Uttar Pradesh's Anuradha Singh won the bronze medal as she completed the distance in a time of 1:25:20.
Results: Men's Elite: Alphonce Simbu (Tanzania) 02:09:32; Joshua Kirkorir (Kenya) 02:09:50; Eluid Barngetuny (Kenya) 02:10:39

Women's Elite: Bornes Kitur (Kenya) 02:29:02; Chalu Tafa (Ethiopia) 02:33:03; Tigist Girma (Ethiopia) 02:33:19
Men's Half Marathon: G Lakshmanan 01:05:05; Sachin Patil 01:06:22; Deepak Kumbhar 01:06:28
Women's Half Marathon: Monika Athare 01:19:13; Minakshi Patil 01:20:53; Anuradha Singh 01:25:20.