New Delhi: The Great India Run, India’s first multi city marathon conceptualised by ProSportify in association with MobieFit Technologies today flagged off in a gala ceremony at the Iconic Amar Jawan Jyoti in India Gate early today morning. The event kicked off with a warm up session of the participating 15 ultra runners followed by flagging off the ultra run and 5k fun run.
In a celebration of sport, Honorable Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel, Khel Ratna Anju Bobby George, and Gul Panag who is the Co-Founder of MobieFit Technologies, an avid runner and a fitness advocate were present. The 1480 km long run, India’s first multi-city marathon features 15 of the best ultra-marathoners from across four continents.
Arun Bhardwaj led the team of 14 ultra runners at India Gate while three of the runners simultaneously flagged off the event from Ghaziabad. At around 10:30 am all runners culminated at Kingdom of Dreams, Gurugram to kick start the Haryana leg of TGIR. The 5k fun run were also organized at each of these venues that saw participation from youngsters in galore.
In its inaugural year, The Great India Run has been strategically placed prior to the Olympics, in order to stoke the flame of sport in the country. With a powerful message, the event has seen strong corporate backing with Tata Salt as title sponsor, powered by Aquaguard and outfitted by Adidas. NewsX, the iTV owned and operated 24hour news channel is on board as producer of the run, and will telecast live the most crucial moments of the race.
The run, one of the longest and most challenging in Asia, will test the resilience of even the most experienced of the pack. Truly a pan-India event, it will pass through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, finally culminating at Mumbai in Maharasthra on the 6th of August.
"The aim of this endeavor is to urge our countrymen to actively focus on their fitness and well-being. Through The Great India Run we also aim to showcase what phenomenal milestones a disciplined runner can achieve", added Gul Panag, Co –Founder MobieFit Technologies, avid runner and fitness advocate.
The thought behind the event is the dream of a fit India and it aims to be an annual feature in the Indian sporting calendar. In order to support the message, the mega-run features a 5k “Fun Run” at every pit stop (Ghaziabad, Delhi, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Silvassa and Mumbai) for enthusiasts to venture into what is the most natural sport in the world. A 21k run is due to be held at Silvassa.
Interestingly enough, Silvassa also falls on the special route through which Milind Soman will – pass through on his 570 km stretch from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. With the spirit of the run in mind, proceeds from the Fun runs that have been organised will go to the Go Sports Foundation to support the dreams of the country’s future Olympians.
“It’s a proud day for us today to launch India’s first multi city marathon event which features -some of the exceptional runners from the world. TGIR is definitely not for the faint-hearted, as participants will be facing the additional challenge of running through the wee hours, climatic conditions etc. I’d also like to thank Shri Vijay Goel ji for gracing the occasion with his presence, and Anju Bobby George who has been an inspiration to the youth of the nation,” said Kartikeya Sharma, Founder and Promoter iTV Network and Managing Director of ProSportify.
The run from Delhi will move on to Jaipur and pass through Ahmedabad to culminate in Mumbai. The contingent consists of Arun Bhardwaj, Siddharth Choudhary, David Bredo, Yuri Esperson, Meenal Kotak, Ranjana Deopa, Melanie Delaney, Joginder Chandna, Dinesh Heda, Sreekanth Reddi, Pia Hansson, Shweta Sharma, Sunil Sharma, Dhanaee Kumar and Kaushal Chauhan. Along with the team, two Ambulances, a Nutrition vehicle and a nutritionist, three physiotherapists, and two masseurs with a support staff of 40 are travelling.
