- Over 15,000 athletes participate in the sixth edition of the ‘Manipal Marathon’
- Specially abled and physically handicapped individuals participating for the first time in the Manipal Marathon
Manipal, Karnataka: Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) in association Udupi District Amateur Athletic Association along with ICICI Bank hosted the 6th edition of the Manipal Marathon to raise funds and awareness for Hospice Palliative Care. More than 15,000 sports enthusiasts participated in the world-class marathon.
The marathon event comprised of races in several categories, including 42k, 21k, 10k, 5k. The first race, the 42k marathon, was flagged off at 5 am by Atul Jain, Karnataka State head of ICICI Bank, in the presence of several esteemed figures, including Dr. H.S. Ballal, Pro-Chancellor of MAHE, Lt. Gen. Dr. M.D. Venkatesh, Vice-Chancellor of MAHE, Dr. Kemparaju, President of Udupi District Amateur Athletic Association. 21k race & 10k race was inaugurated by Shri Krishan Sharma, Chief General Manager SBI Bangalore Circle along with Lt. Gen. Dr. M.D. Venkatesh, vice chancellor MAHE .
Addressing the athletes, Dr H.S. Ballal, Pro-Chancellor of MAHE said, “I am thrilled to see a significant number of people participating in this marathon. There are more than 15,000 participants in the 42-kilometer full marathon. We are thrilled to witness the enthusiastic participation in this marathon which will motivate people to lead healthier, more active lifestyle for overall well-being. MAHE looks forward to continuing its mission of promoting health, wellness, and social responsibility through such impactful initiatives in the future. “
Lt General Dr MD Venkatesh, Vice-Chancellor of MAHE, said, “The Manipal Marathon stands out as a distinctive event with a strong emphasis on supporting social causes. In alignment with this ethos, this year’s theme revolves around raising awareness on Hospice Palliative Care, encapsulated by the motto, ‘We are with you all the way, which fosters an active lifestyle among individuals. I am immensely grateful to all our sponsors for their generous contributions towards making this noble endeavour a huge success The event brought together individuals from diverse backgrounds, united in their pursuit of a common goal: supporting Hospice Palliative Care and advocating for a healthier society.”.
The Manipal Marathon organized a 3K race exclusively for individuals with disabilities.
Mr Gopalkrishna Samaga, Deputy General Manager and Mr B Rajagopal Regional Head, Karnataka Bank flagged of the 5k race. Mr Ravinder Rai, Deputy Managing Director, Bank of Baroda Credit Card (BFSL) , Mumbai flagged off the 3k race.
Rajeev VC, Vice President & Regional Head, Federal Bank was present to witness the marathon.
Additional activities including dance and Zumba sessions were organized for the athletes. A grand carnival was held at KMC Greens. The prize distributions were made to the winners across various categories, as listed below.
In the 42K Male category marathon race , M Nanjundappa won the first race with a timing of 02:47:18, followed by Sachin Poojary, who secured the second position with a timing of 02:52:24 and – Chetram Kumar finished third with a timing of 02:52:46. The participants competed in the (NM,M, 30-45) and 42K (NM, M, 18-30) category.
42K female category marathon race the winners were: 1st place – Chaitra Devadiga | 42K (NM, F, 18-30) | 03:26:29, and 2nd place – Jasmitha Kodenkiri | 42K (NM, F, 18-30) | 04:46:10.
21 k Male category the winner were 1st Vaibhav patil|21K(NM,M, 18-30)| 01:13:44 and 2nd-Raghuvaran c|21K(NM,M, 18-30)| 01:13:57
21 K females category marathon race the winner were 1st –Archana KM|21K(NM,F, 18-30)| 01:32:46, 2nd-Nandini G|21K(NM,F, 18-30)| 01:37:28 and 3rd-Spandana|21K(NM,F, 18-30)| 01:44:24
In the 10K male category marathon race, Manikanta P emerged as the winner with a time of 34 minutes and 33 seconds. Shree secured the second position, completing the race in 34 minutes and 50 seconds.
10k female category marathon race, Roopashree N S won 1st place with a timing of 44:20, while Rekha Basappa Piroji secured 2nd place with a timing of 45:21.
The results of the 5k male category marathon race are as follows: Nagaraj Divate finished first with a time of 17:40, followed by Rahul in second place with a time of 18:49, and Vilas Puranik in third place with a time of 18:51.
In the 5k marathon race for females category, the results are as follows: Usha R secured the first position with a timing of 17 minutes and 40 seconds, Pranamya came second with a timing of 23 minutes and 28 seconds, and Manya K M secured the third position with the same timing as Pranamya, that is, 23 minutes and 28 seconds.
Dr. Sharath K Rao, Pro Vice-chancellor of Health science, MAHE; Dr. N N Sharma, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Strategy & Planning) , MAHE, Dr Narayan Sabhahit, Pro vice-chancellor (Technology & Science) , MAHE, Dr Dilip G Naik, Pro Vice-Chancellor, MAHE, CG Muthanna, Chief Operating Officer, MAHE, Dr Giridhar Kini, Registrar, MAHE, Dr. Naveen Salins, Associate Dean of Kasturba Medical College and Head of the Palliative and Hospice Care Centre at KH Manipal , Mr. Kemparaj, President of Udupi District Amateur Athletics Association, Mr. Yashpal Anand Suvarna, MLA, Udupi District, Dr K VidyaKumari, IAS, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate and others distributed the prizes along with other dignitaries.
Dr. Vinod Nayak, Secretary of Sports Council, MAHE delivered the vote of thanks. Ms Komal D’souza, PhD Scholar compered the programme.
