Tendulkar to flag off Kolkata marathon on Sunday

Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar will flag off the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Kolkata Full Marathon which promises to bring in 12,000 runners for the annual sporting event here this Sunday.

Runners from across the country and city have registered for the marathon, which will start from the iconic Rangers Maidan on Red Road and will see the runners taking part in four categories of Full Marathon, Half Marathon, Timed 10K and 5K Fun Run.

Tendulkar, who is the brand ambassador of IDBI Federal Life Insurance, said Kolkata full marathon like every year would have something special to offer.

"We will see a diverse range of runners participating across the race categories which is very encouraging. Events like the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Kolkata Full Marathon play a huge role in influencing people to embrace a healthy way of life. We are steadily moving in the direction of transforming India from a sports loving nation to a sports playing nation," Tendulkar said in a statement.

Organised by NEB Sports, the event has been certified by AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races), in association with AFI (Athletics Federation of India).

This year too, over 3,500 highly-trained runners from the men and women in uniform will be taking part.

The marathon will also see dedicated runners from around 10 corporates participate across the different categories. 30 enthusiastic kids from Dakshini Prayash, an NGO that works with under-privileged children, will also be participating.

45-year-old, Anjali Saraogi, who is the fastest Indian female runner in the 100K category and has represented India at the World level, will be aiming to complete a hat-trick of titles in the women's Full Marathon category.

She will be joined by Deepak Bandbe, India's fastest 100K male runner and bronze medallist at the 2019 IAU 100 km Asia and Oceania Championships, who will be competing for top position in the men's Half Marathon category.

The youngest participant at this edition will be seven-year-old Pradyuti who will be a part of the 5K Fun Run, while 86-year-old Janardhan B R who will be running the Half Marathon will earn the honour of being the senior-most participant.

Among the other inspirational runners are Arun Singh, a 70-year-old runner who has represented India at the World Majors in the 65+ age category and Uday Kumar, an amputee who is a seasoned marathoner.