Kolkata: The Times of India, in association with Bidhannagar Police, on Sunday organised the TOI Natun Para Half Marathon at Eco Park in New Town.
The half marathon, starting with the 21k category, was flagged off by actor Sudip Mukherjee. Former Indian footballer Dipendu Biswas joined in as the other two marathon categories of 10k and 5k were also successively flagged off.
The starting point of the half marathon was near Eco Park gate no. 1, as regular morning walkers, fitness enthusiasts, and others joined in to participate. The route plan of the 21k category marathon run was from Eco Park, then moving to Hanuman Mandir Island, and then taking a U-turn from Smart Point to again come to Eco Park gate no. 1 and repeat for another round.
Actor Sudip Mukherjee, a fitness enthusiast, said that it was great to see the elderly citizens coming to participate. "It's amazing to see so many elderly people joining in. I thank TOI for organising such an initiative, and it would be good if more such initiatives, like also having a marathon walk, could be taken."
There was much enthusiasm and excitement among the participants, from children to the elderly, who came in very early on a chilly Sunday morning to take part in the marathon categories.
"This is the first time I am participating in a marathon and feeling excited. It is a wonderful initiative by TOI, and more such initiatives should be taken," said Manju Singh, who participated in the 5k category.
Anuradha Mondal, another 5k participant, said that more such marathons should be organised for promoting fitness. "Such initiatives inspire people to participate in marathons," she said.
Former Indian footballer Dipendu Biswas said that it was a good initiative by TOI to organise the marathon. "Many thanks to TOI for such an initiative. People are now much aware of morning walks and fitness. It feels nice to see so many elderly and children participating," he said.
Romonus Guria secured the first position among the male participants in the 21k marathon, while Lorna Mclaren came first in the same category among the female participants. In the 10k category, Pradipta Ghosh and Sona Agarwal secured first positions among the male and female participants, and Kumar Aman and Sonali Singha secured first positions in the 5k category.