Second Edition of Kochi Navy Marathon Conducted on 25 November 2018
Second Edition of Kochi Navy Marathon Conducted on 25 November 2018
As part of Navy Week activities, the Indian Navy conducted the second edition of the Kochi Navy Marathon on 25 November 2018, with the aim of promoting healthy living and fitness through running, as well as developing harmony between the Indian Navy and the local populace of Kochi. Over 3,500 personnel took part in the run, which was conducted for different age groups under three distance categories: The Venduruthy Run (21 kms), the Dronacharya Run (10 kms) and the Garuda Run (5 kms). The Marathon routes for all three races took participants through the Willingdon island to Foreshore and passing through Ernakulam city. The 21 kms Venduruthy was further divided into five different age groups: 13–30 years, 31–40 years, 41–50 years, 51–60 years and above 60 years, in both male and female categories.
The main event, the 21 kms Venduruthy Run, was flagged off by Vice Admiral AK Chawla, AVSM, NM, VSM, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command. The 10 kms Dronacharya and 5 kms Garuda Runs were flagged off by Rear Admiral RJ Nadkarni, VSM, Chief of Staff and Surgeon Rear Admiral Joy Chatterjee, Command Medical Officer respectively.
Speaking on the occasion, Vice Admiral AK Chawla expressed his happiness at the overwhelming response received for the second edition of the Half Marathon. He reiterated the importance of being health conscious and highlighted the tagline of the Kochi Navy Marathon – “Run for a Healthy Kochi”. The Commander-in-Chief himself participated in the Garuda Run. The Marathon saw an active participation from all walks of life, both military and civilian, which included men, women, children as well as senior citizens
Mr Sanjay Agarwal with a timing of 1 hr 18 min 01 sec and Mr Mukesh Balodiya with a timing of 38 min 01 sec won the 21 kms and 10 kms runs respectively in the male category. In the female category, Ms Keerthy CP with a timing of 1hr 51 min 25 sec and Ms Dheishana Raghunathan with a timing of 57 min 33 sec won the 21 kms and 10 kms events respectively. The Garuda Run was won by Mr Rahul with a timing of 17 min 59 sec and Ms Avantika Gupta with a timing of 27 min 25 sec in the male and female categories respectively. All finishers were awarded medals for their participation, while sponsored prizes were given to the top three candidates in each age group and category. Special cash prizes of Rs 20,000/-, 10,000/- and 5,000/- were also announced by Vice Admiral AK Chawla for the first three finishers of the ‘Half Marathon’.
The event enhanced awareness amongst all the participants about the benefits of running to promote a healthy life and was a resounding success.
