Hyderabad: Hyderabad is scheduled to host two mega sporting events this year — the prestigious IAU 50km World Championships 2023, the annual global ultrarunning competition which will be held for the first time in India, and the Hyderabad Half Marathon 2023 — that will both take place on November 5, 2023.
The IAU 50km World Championships 2023, which is in affiliation with the International Association of Ultra Runners (IAU) and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), will see participants from several countries, including the USA, Germany, Japan, Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, and India.
It not only marks the first time that India will be hosting any Ultra Running World Championship event but will also have open category entries from World Master Athletics, allowing individual runners to participate. The event, organised by NEB Sports, is supported by the popular Hyderabad Runners, who have ignited the running culture in Hyderabad.
The Ageas Federal Life Insurance Hyderabad Half Marathon 2023, has three different categories – 21.1K (Half Marathon), 10K and 5K.
Sachin Tendulkar, Brand Ambassador of Ageas Federal, and Padma Bhushan Pullela Gopichand will flag off each of the races.
“This is a historic moment for India, and we hope to create more excitement around the challenging but rewarding sport of ultra running. The IAU 50km World Championships 2023 will witness participation from top ultra runners across the world and we can expect a tough competition. It will also give an excellent platform for the Indians to compete with international runners at home,” AFI president Adille Sumariwalla said during a press conference.
“We have been steadily building the fitness movement across the country through our successful marathons and now, we are delighted to organise our first marathon in the City of Pearls – Hyderabad. We hope to see a great turn-out in November and we invite runners to register in large numbers along with their friends and family,” Erum Kidwai, Sr. Vice President-Marketing of Ageas Federal Life Insurance, said.
“After successfully hosting the IAU 100km Asia Oceania Championship in Bengaluru this July, we are extremely proud to bring the first-ever Ultra World Championships to India. We are seeing an increasing number of runners taking up this sport and through this prestigious event, we hope to further elevate the sport of ultra-running in the country,” Nadeem Khan, the IAU president, said.
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