Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Half Marathon 2023 will be flagged off by cricket superstar, Sachin Tendulkar this Sunday.
Close to 8,000 enthusiastic runners will gather at the Gachibowli Stadium at the break of dawn, underlining the running culture that is sweeping across the country.
The event boasts three categories: the Half Marathon (21.1k) which will be flagged off at 5:15 am, followed by the Timed 10K at 6:30 am and the 5K Fun Run which will commence at 7:45 am.
Speaking on the eve of the event, Sachin Tendulkar, Brand Ambassador of Ageas Federal Life Insurance said, “Ageas Federal has been championing a fearless future for all through its marathons across the country, with the latest being in the beautiful city of Hyderabad. I am confident that this year’s race theme of ‘Run Ageless, Run Fearless’ will inspire runners to tackle the course fearlessly and produce their best efforts.”
“When it comes to running, a lot of people box themselves into different challenges. Some are worried about maintaining practice schedules, some about their diet and some about their fitness. But one should never feel it is too late to start,” said Tendulkar.
“I hope the participants this year will move beyond the thoughts of age and not be restricted by a number. You can start your fitness journey any time, not just when you’re young. For India to transform from a sport-loving nation to a sport-playing nation, we need participation from people across all age groups,” Tendulkar added.
Vighnesh Shahane, MD & CEO, Ageas Federal Life Insurance, underlined his company’s role in building a running and fitness culture across the country, saying: “Ageas Federal Life Insurance is proud to come on board as the title sponsor for the Hyderabad Half Marathon 2023. We see it as another feather in our crown as we aim to take the fitness movement to the masses. We encourage everyone, whether young or old, amateur or experienced, to put on their shoes and start running.”
“At Ageas Federal, we are committed towards ensuring a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future. In line with this commitment, we have entered into association with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Rotary Club of Lake District Moinabad, to plant 10,000 trees on behalf of the Hyderabad Half Marathon 2023,” Shahane added.
The first tree plantation drive was held at IDPL junction, Hyderabad, on September 30. Over 500 people participated in the drive, planting 2,000 trees along a 7 km stretch. While this was the first, there will be many more such sapling plantation drives to plant the total number of trees committed.
Keeping to the spirit of the theme ‘Run Ageless, Run Fearless’, there are 12 visually impaired runners participating, supported by Guide Runners India, the NGO partner for the event. Additionally, 120 people from Cardiac Rehab Foundation, will be running the event. Muralidar Babi, Chairman and CEO of Cardiac Rehab treats heart patients and trains them to participate in such events.
Nagaraj Adiga, CMD, NEB Sports said, “We are very happy to see the fitness culture in Hyderabad steadily growing. The Hyderabad Half Marathon has carved a niche for itself and is a favourite of runners from across the state. We have put all the required protocols in place and utmost efforts have been made to ensure that all arrangements work with clockwork precision so that runners have a great time on the route.”
69-year-old Anil Gupta will be the oldest male and 54-year-old Aparna Deepak the oldest female runner in the half marathon. At the other end of the spectrum are Syed Almir and Akshaya Uppalapati, both 14 years old. The half marathon will also witness participation from corporates as well as police and armed forces.
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