Coal India Marathon in Jharkhand: Akshay Kumar, Sonika secure first position in full marathon 

 

Ranchi, February 11: The top rank in the Full Marathon men’s 42 km category was secured today by Akshay Kumar, who clocked a time of 2 hours twenty minutes and thirty-eight seconds, while Hemant Kumar stood second.

 In the female category of the full marathon, Sonika from Haryana was first, and she completed the run in 2 Hrs, forty-four minutes and twelve seconds. In contrast, Reenu secured the second position. 

It was the second edition of the Coal India Marathon 2024, organised by Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) today under the aegis of Coal India Limited.

Half marathon 

In the half marathon of the 21 km male category, Puneet Kumar bagged the first prize with a timing of One Hr, five minutes and seventeen seconds, while Renu Singh, a railway employee from Uttar Pradesh, secured the first position.

 Over 7500 athletes 

 More than 7500 athletes from across the country participated in the mega event in four categories: 42.198 km (full marathon), 21.098 km (half marathon), a 10 km run and a 5 km run. 

This was the second officially registered marathon of Jharkhand in which various bureaucrats, defence force personnel and people from all walks of life participated. 

Birsa Munda Stadium, Morhabadi

The runners started the marathon from Birsa Munda Stadium, Morhabadi, and after going through Kanke and Pithoria, they finally returned to Birsa Munda Stadium. 

The runners braved the early morning chill to participate in the event and complete the run. The arrangements for the marathon included facilities like a medical point, hydration point, entertainment programs and energy stations. Enthusiasm was electrifying when this group of some of the country’s best runners enjoyed Ranchi’s scenic beauty while competing.

Total prizes 

The total prize money for the event was Rs 33.12 lakhs. 

The winner of the 42 km event got Rs 3.3 lakhs, while the half marathon winner in both categories netted Rs 2.2 Lakh. The winner of the 10 km run got Rs 1.1 Lakh.

  The entire marathon race commenced at 5.00 am, and the half marathon race commenced at 5.25 am. The 10-kilometre race started at 5.30 am, while the 5-kilometre race began at 8.30 am. The race witnessed the spirited participation of athletes from all regions of PAN India, contributing to the tremendous success of this grand event. 

Who all attended? 

The event was graced by Justice S.N Pathak, MP PT Usha, and an all-time great athlete, Add. SG Anil Kumar, Addl. Secretary, MoC, M Nagaraju, Addl Secretary, MoC, Ms Rupinder Brar, Chairman, CIL, PM Prasad, CCL CMD Dr B. Veera Reddy, CMPDIL CMD Manoj Kumar, CIL Ex-Chairman Pramod Agrawal, Director(P) Vinay Ranjan, Director (Mkt.), CIL, Mukesh Chaudhary, Director (BD), CIL, Debashish Nanda, CVO, CIL, Brajesh Kr. Tripathi, Aboobacker Siddique, Secretary (Mines & Agriculture ), Manoj Kumar, Secretary (Sports), and Akhilesh Jha, IPS.

  Others who also attended it included YS Ramesh, IPS, Director (T/O) CCL Ram Baboo Prasad; Dir(P), CCL Harsh Nath Mishra, Dir(F), CCL, Pawan Kumar Mishra, Director (T/P&P), CCL, B. Sairam, CVO, CCL Pankaj Kumar; Dir (Pers), ECL Ahuti Swain, and Sunita Bodra, famous athlete.

  On the occasion, CIL Chairman P M Prasad stated Coal India Limited is organising this event to create awareness about the importance of physical fitness amongst the public. 

CCL CMD Dr B Veera Reddy said that such events will foster a spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie amongst the people, and the company will continue organising such events in future. 

CIL Director (Pers) Vinay Ranjan expressed his delight at the successful completion of the event. 

Rajya Sabha member PT Usha encouraged the public to participate in the marathon. The Athletic Federation of India provided technical support for the event.