The Great India Run, India’s first multi-city marathon conceptualised by ProSportify in association with Mobiefit Technologies will commence on its third leg from Ahmedabad tomorrow morning. Carrying the baton for the run will be India’s very own Ironman Milind Soman, alongside the 5K Fun Run which shall be flagged off simultaneously. The flag off ceremony is scheduled from the NID Paldi Riverfront to Vallabh, Sadan Riverfront Route early morning at 6:00 AM.
One of the longest runs in the country’s sporting history standing at 1480 km, it features 15 of the best Indian and International Ultramarathoners. While the running group may have diverse origins, hailing from across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, they have but one aim, which is to spread the message of fitness and well-being.
The Great India Run that was flagged off from New Delhi on 17th July 2016 has traversed through Gurugram, Manesar, Jaipur, Udaipur and is set to touch down Mumbai on 4th August 2016, two days ahead of the earlier scheduled date, 6th August 2016.
The flagging off of the run from Ahmedabad would see Milind Soman lead The Great India Run and then follow a route charted to cover the picturesque Silvassa to reach Mumbai on 4th August 2016. This special course aims to cover 570km over seven days. Ahead of the run, Milind Soman was found in a determined mood.
“The Great India Run is a great initiative towards spreading a message of health and fitness across the country. The running scene in India is gaining momentum and events like these will only help people to aspire to take up running.”
“I’ve myself been a supporter of running as a way of life for a long time and it’s great to see an initiative to support that too on such a large scale. I am looking forward to my participation in the same,” added Milind Soman.
Running from dawn to dusk every day, the ultramarathoners started this most recent leg of The Great India Run from Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Cruising past the City of Lakes, unperturbed by the heat of the dessert, they trumped the 70 kilometres on a regular basis.
The pack, consisting of Arun Bhardwaj, David Bredo, Yuri Esperson, Siddharth Choudhary, Meenal Kotak, Ranjana Deopa, Sreekanth Reddi, Melanie Delainey, Dinesh Heda, Joginder Chandna, Pia Hansson, Sunil Sharma, Shweta Sharma, Kaushal Chauhan and Dhanaee Kumar did suffer setbacks in the form of injuries, but it did not let them down.
The support staff of 40 people along with two Ambulances, a Nutrition Vehicle with a nutritionist on board, two Physiotherapists and two Masseurs has equally supported the team and has not let anything affect their performance.
The road ahead is a treacherous one, with the famed humidity of the Western Ghats set to play a part. The runners, however, are nothing but confident.
