More than 2500 people across various categories participated in the hugely successful first Edition of the Ajmera Thump! Celebration Bangalore Half Marathon and 10K, which was flagged off during the early hours of Sunday, 8 December 2013.

The Half Marathon, 10 km and 5km Celebration Runs organised by Life is Calling Sports under the auspices of the Karnataka Athletics Association in association with Ajmera Housing Corporation was flagged off amid high energy and entertainment at the NICE Toll Plaza, adjacent to PESIT College, Nayandahalli Junction, Ring Road, Mysore Road.

The first race of the morning, the Ajmera Thump! Half Marathon was flagged off by the children of Sukrupa, the charity partner for the event at 6 in the morning. More than 1000 people-men/women participated in the half Marathon including the Open category (16 to 45 years), Senior category (46 to 60 years) and Veteran category (60+ years). The winner in the Men’s Open Category was Nanjundappa, 25 years from Bangalore with a timing of 1 hour 13 minutes 37 seconds. He works as a laborer in a Tea factory on the outskirts of Bangalore and makes it a point to participate in all full and half marathons happening in the city.  The winner in the Women’s Open Category was 37-year-old Neera Katwal from Bangalore who finished with a timing of 1 hour 42 minutes 17 seconds. The Half Marathon was sponsored by LIC of India.

The second race of the morning was the 10 km run which was flagged off by Mr. Rajashekar, Registrar, Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology at 6.45 am. The 10km Men’s Open Category was won by Nandagopal BR, 24 years from Bangalore with a timing of 34 minutes 2 seconds.  He works as a training coach for kids at Leap Start. The Women’s 10Km Open Category was won by Mahalakshmi Ramachandrappa, the 24-year student from Bangalore. Her timing was 43 minutes 38 seconds and she was a first time runner.

The other races of the day included the 5km celebration run participated by over 700 enthusiastic people including children and the elderly.  There was also a senior citizen 5km walk, which received the maximum cheering from the crowd.

All the races were conducted with the RFID timing technology, which was used to record time for both the 10km and the Half Marathon. Timing chips was provided to Half Marathon and 10K participants to monitor their time.

The winner of the Half Marathon Open category, Nanjudappa shared, “I have been part of many marathons that have happened and was pleasantly surprised that this event was organized very professionally. There were no ugly fights or politics and true sportsmanship was what was appreciated.”

Sharing her happiness, Mahalakshmi R., the winner of the 10km Open category shared, “This was the first time that I ran the 10km.  I really was not sure that I had the potential to win.  I am extremely happy with my performance and plan to participate in more marathons in the future.”

The MC of the event, RJ Ankit Piplani kept the crowd entertained throughout the 4-hour event. There were music bands, interesting dance performances as well as traditional dance groups that performed at the Start / Finish line.  There was also entertainment and performances happening along the running route to inspire the runners and keep the audiences and supporters cheering.

The Celebration Run in Bangalore was a fundraiser charity event with Sukrupa and Asha Foundation as charity partners. Sukrupa for the past 10+ years is educating under privileged children in their school and is doing a good service for the society. Asha Foundation has been working for the betterment of children affected by cerebral palsy and autism, from the last 17 years.

The other partners associated with the event included: Decathlon, Reliance Trends amongst others.

CATEGORY:        HALF MARATHON- MEN

MEN OPEN- 16 to 45 years

MEN- Senior- 46 to 60 years

MEN- Veteran- 61+ years

CATEGORY:     HALF MARATHON – WOMEN

WOMEN Open- 16 to 45 years

WOMEN- Senior- 46 to 60 years

Men 10K Open- 16 to 45 years

MEN 10K- Senior- 46 to 60 years

MEN 10K- Veteran- 61+ years

Women 10K Senior- 46 to 60 years

Women 10K Veteran- 60+ years

The event was organised by Life is Calling Sports Management Limited In Association with Ajmera Housing Corporation and NICE Corridor and Karnataka Athletics Association.

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