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As reported earlier by Sportskeeda, the multi-talented triathlete Abhishek Mishra has launched the first community-oriented full marathon in Gurgaon, titled the Millennium City Run. Supported and promoted by perhaps the biggest name when it comes to completing triathlons and competing in Ironman competitions in our country – Milind Soman – the event has been scheduled for the 1st of November, which also happens to be Haryana Day.
An engineer with a Masters in Marketing & International Business, Mishra was employed at GE before being bitten by the running bug. Now, he is spearheading a wave of running-for-your-neighbourhood initiatives, espousing the cause of running combined with community building. He has already built a network of thousands of runners in Gurgaon.
At the launch, Mishra said, “For me it is a personal mission fulfilled, that we are able to introduce a community run in the cosmopolitan and running-friendly city like Gurgaon. The Millennium City Marathon is an initiative to bring the diverse people of Gurgaon together on a platform of health, create awareness about the importance of fitness, and above all, to feel a part of the same millennium city that is home to all of us. If you don’t want to run, come out and cheer the runners, but come. Our aim is to encourage 50,000 runners to participate in this run by the year 2020 and make this a marathon to look forward to.”
Soman, who happens to be an avid runner send buoyed while describing his involvement in the run too, “I run because I love this feeling. Fitness to me is freedom, and both Abhishek and I want the people of Gurgaon to have the same liberating feeling. Endurance sport teaches us one thing--that if you work at something you love, patiently, consistently and with focus, not only will you get where you want to get, but every moment you will be where you want to be. And which modern city doesn’t need that. We would love for the people of Gurgaon to come out in numbers and show that they are a proud part of this community on 1st of November.”
In what promises to be a star studded event, there will be quite a few ancillary attractions for instance, Maj D.P.Singh (Indian Blade Runner, Kargil war survivor, first amputee marathon runner of India, and Limca record holder) and Maj Neelu Panag Khanna will be running to raise funds for war widows, while expats, Alfredo Miranda and Sarah Heywood, who have made Gurgaon their home will be running to promote tourism in Gurgaon while IT entrepreneur Umesh Gupta will be running to promote the cause of a Clean Gurgaon, Green Gurgaon.
Needless to say, the day promises the initiation of what can be a glorious tradition! Here’s hoping more and more people take notice and as Mishra had hoped, “turn up in huge numbers to make the event a success.”
