Sudha Singh, Kavita Raut, Soji Matthew & Khetaram make up Elite Field for inaugural Tata Steel Kolkata 25K

From L-R - Vivek Singh, Jt MD, Procam International, Dr. Raman, Deputy Director of Tata Medical Centre, Nikhel Morris, VP Resource Mobilisation, Responsenet, Hugh Jones, Race Director, Sunil Bhaskaran, VP, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, Geeta, Hope Foundation, Akshay Oberoi, 98.3 FM Radio Mirchi along with Saiyyom in Centre

With less than four days to go for Kolkata to experience the joy of a fantastic new sport, the city is getting ready to proudly host a brand new distance running event, the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K. Preparations are on in full swing and the run will be flagged off on Sunday, December 28 from the iconic Red Road. Forgetting distinctions of any kind such as caste, colour, sex, language and religion, the City of Joy will come together as one to make history at India’s first accredited 25 km Distance Running event.

As a test of fitness and endurance - both physical and emotional – the TSK 25K will focus on Indian running talent, giving professional and amateur men and women from Kolkata and around the country a proven platform to showcase their talent. Registrations for the event are on in full swing across the five categories that include the 25K (elite and amateurs), Open 10K (amateurs), Ananda Run (6 km), Sr. Citizens’ Run (4 km), and Champions with Disability (4 km).

At a Meet and Greet in the city today, Procam International, promoters of the event, focused on the elite line of athletes participating in the run, the integral charity aspect, information on the 25K distance from Race Director Hugh Jones’ point of view, and announced the‘Mirchi Get Active Health & Expo’ details at The Oberoi Grand, the Official Hospitality Partner.

Present at the occasion were Sunil Bhaskaran, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, Hugh Jones, Race Director, Nikhel Morris – VP Resource Mobilization – Responsenet; Geeta Venkadakrishnan, Director, Hope Foundation, Sayom Deb Mukherjee, Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP) along with Vivek Singh, Jt. MD. Procam International.

Sunil Bhaskaran, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel said, “We are privilege to be a part of Tata Steel Kolkata 25k. Procam International has managed to connect Sports and Charity and put them together on one large platform. Like last year, we will be supporting Tata Medical Centre. We believe, like the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, TSK 25K will receive phenomenal response from the city of Kolkata.”

Fiercely competitive field to battle it out at TSK25K: The INR 21,54, 000 will see in action over 30 leading Indian athletes in the men’s and women’s category. Leading the fray in women’s category will be Sudha Singh, Asian Games Gold Medallist 2010 and SCMM 2014 Half Marathon Winner. Lalita Babbar from Central Railway is a three time winner of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon and Delhi half marathon and recently won the Federation Cup Senior National Athletics Championships.

Kavita Raut, India’s leading long-distance runner who holds the current Indian National record for 10 km road running with a timing of 34:32 as well as the current Indian National record in the half marathon with a timing of 1:12:50.

The men’s category will be dominated by half marathon specialist from Kerela Soji Mathew and 10,000m gold medallist in the All India Inter-university championship, Kheta Ram, ADHM 2013 runner up and 10000 mtrs National Games winner and upcoming talent Sanvroo Yadav.

From L-R - Supriya participanting Champion wih Disability category along with Saiyyom and Hugh Jones, Race Director

Hugh Jones: London Marathon winner Hugh Jones, Secretary of the Association of International Marathons & Road Races (AIMS) and an internationally known former athlete will be the event’s Race Director.

Commenting on the distance Jones, said, “25k is an interesting distance and its a stepping stone to running full marathon. We have seen India embrace running and we are sure we will receive the same response in Kolkata. I think this race has the potential to go the distance and compete with Berlin which is the single well-known distance in the world.”

Jones, who also measures routes for the Olympics, has set guidelines, measured the TSK 25K route and finalized it together with the Athletics Federation of India, the West Bengal Athletic Association and Kolkata Traffic Police.

Charity: Running events organized by Procam International continue to be among the top charity generating events in the country. Whilethe inaugural edition of the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K will place emphasis on highly competitive distance running, charity will also been a fundamental area of focus together with Philanthropy Partner Responsenet. For the first time, Kolkata’s citizens will get a chance to run for a reason by choosing their own charity and supporting a cause close to their heart.

Through the efforts of the Responsenet, NGOs and individuals are supporting a cause they want to bring about a change to by fundraising, going beyond assistance through donations alone. Runners are motivated by the spirit and desire to compete but more so by the knowledge that their physical efforts will result in positive change for countless people less fortunate than they are.

Thus far, 24 NGOs including CRY, Hope Foundation Kolkata, ARUN (Association for Rural and Urban Needy), Samarpan Foundation, Bhumi, Tata Medical Centre, Dignity Foundation, Parichiti, Magic Bus, Future Hope, Anirban Rural Welfare Society, Enlighten A Girl Child, Concern India Foundation, Swabalambi, Indian Institute of Celebral Palsy supporting various causes ranging from Human Rights and Disability to Education and Healthcare.

Corporate Champions - part of the charity efforts where participants representing different organisations run - is a category that is gaining tremendous popularity among organizations and is being viewed as a highly effective team building exercise for employees. In its first edition, the run has received participation from many of the leading corporate houses like Citibank, Fedex, Titan, Voltas, Johnson & Johnson, Tata Communications, Tata AIG with over 550 participants from 13 teams.

Individuals participating in the run and present at the conference included Jeeja Ghosh and Sayom Deb Mukherjee better known as Den is an active member of the Advocacy Group, 'ANKUR' of the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP) and works as an Advocacy & Technical Trainer with IICP. Den was a popular RJ with 91.9 Friends FM until he joined IICP six months back. Jeeja Ghosh - Disabled Rights Activist, has been involved in the advocacy movement for people with disabilities since 1995 and her special interest is women with disabilities. She works as the Head of Advocacy and Disability studies in the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy, Kolkata.

18-year-old Supriya Saha, who has had delayed developmental milestones and was diagnosed with mental retardation. Supriya was admitted at Mentaid – a Special School for the Mentally Challenged and since 2003, has shown tremendous interest in dance, drawing and recitation, winning many accolades for the same. During the State Special Olympics Meet, she stood first in the softball throw and second in the 100 meters dash. She is currently attending a number of camps in India and chosen to attend the International Special Olympics Meet in Los Angeles, USA.

Geeta Venkadakrishnan is the Director and one of the members of Hope Kolkata Foundation. The organization is committed to providing sustainable development for the underprivileged and vulnerable population with special focus on children and persons living in difficult circumstances.

The ‘Mirchi Get Active Health & Fitness Expo’, organised and marketed by Radio Mirchi Activations will take place in the city fromDecember 25 to 27. The expo is a one-stop destination for runners and a unique opportunity for health, fitness and wellbeing enthusiasts to come together under one roof. Confirmed participants can collect their running numbers between 10.00 am to 6:30 pm at Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.

On-spot registrations will also be on at the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra from 25th to 27th December from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm.

Akshay Oberoi, Head Activations, Radio Mirchi,” – 98.3 FM is very proud to be associated with Tata Steel 25K – Kolkata! Radio Mirchi is very happy to announce the first edition of Mirchi Get Active Expo which gives Kolkatans an opportunity to experience the best brands in fitness, lifestyle and wellbeing under one roof. It is our endeavour to create a platform for all fitness enthusiasts to engage directly with various experts in the field and get tips on healthy living and being fit. In addition we will have a lot of fun activities wherein people can engage with their favourite RJ , take part in various games , contests etc and do what Mirchi does best– Entertain !! We also encourage all Kolkatans to be a part of the Tata Steel 25K – Kolkata Marathon and run for their city wholeheartedly.

The three-day expo will see a host of activities such as the runners meet and other interactive stalls of partners like Nestle, Reebok, Tata Steel, Tata Global Beverages – Brand Himalayan, Responsenet. In addition to this, leading brands like Harley Davidson, Adidas, Dr LaL Pathology Lab, Club Mahindra, Adaidas ,Syndicate Bank, Mount Hill Real Estate have displayed a wide array of products for the benefit of participants.

The expo will give participants ample time to study race day instructions in details, familiarize themselves with security arrangements, traffic restrictions, road closures and other arrangements that will come into force on Race Day.