Braving a chilly Sunday morning, Ahmedabad’s family of athletes turned up enthusiastically and in huge numbers at the Shantigram Cricket Ground for the sixth edition of the Adani Ahmedabad Marathon, the premier AIIMS-certified run in the city.
More than 12,000 runners, including nearly 1,700 runners from the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, participated in the premier marathon which pioneered and promotes the unique #Run4OurSoldiers initiative.
Run4OurSoldiers has successfully raised Rs 50 lakhs for the welfare funds of the Indian Armed Forces and the Pune-based Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre, a nodal government institution catering to the rehabilitation needs of soldiers affected by permanent spinal cord injuries. With the sixth edition, the cumulative funds donated have crossed Rs 2.5 crore.
Present at the marathon’s flag-off was Air Marshal Vikram Singh, (AVSM VSM) AOC-in-C, South Western Air Command; Major General Mohit Wadhwa, General Officer Commanding; Race Ambassador Major D P Singh, Kargil War Veteran and India’s first blade runner; Dangal queen Geeta Phogat and ace Indian hockey player Rani Rampal. Also present to give the athletes a stirring pep talk was actor Ayushmann Khurrana.
“Nothing brings people together as sports does,” said Mr Pranav Adani, Director, Adani Enterprises Ltd.
“The sixth edition of the Adani Ahmedabad Marathon is extra special as it hosted specially-abled runners from all over India to join the thousands of other runners from all walks of life. It is tremendously inspiring to see people come together, united by our vision of nation building, united in our determination to build a Fitter India, and united in our expression of gratitude for the bravery and selflessness of the Indian Armed Forces.”