The big ten: Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata road race hits new highs with huge footfall
Telegraph | 23 December 2025
The city has found a firm footing in the running map, the 10th edition of eastern India’s marquee road race showed on Sunday.
The Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata, partnered by The Telegraph, saw around 23,000 participants, the highest ever. They came braving the winter chill. The minimum temperature dropped to 14.4 degrees on Sunday, the coldest day of this winter so far.
Of the total count, around 9,000, or 40%, were from outside Calcutta, organisers said.
Accomplished runners came from both close and far, with numerous participants from other states and a few from international locations.
A group of four was doing high-fives after completing the 25km run. Bhupender Singh, Kamal Singh, Bhavana Gurnani and Paramjeet Yadav are members of Rewari Runners Fleet, a running club in the Delhi-NCR belt. Sunday was the first time they ran in Calcutta.
“The course is beautiful, the traffic well organised and the weather superb. Overall, it was a wonderful debut in Calcutta,” said Gurnani, 51, who clocked a time of two hours and 33 minutes to complete the course. From Spiti and Ladakh in the north to Visakhapatnam in south to Udaipur in the west, she has done long-distance runs across the country.
Lorna Mclaren, 44, and husband Cordi Van Niekerk, 53, are from Cape Town in South Africa. Cordi got transferred to Calcutta in June for a year’s stint. “Cordi has taken part in marathons in Sweden and Mexico. This race is organised very well, better than many others,” said Lorna.
Many runners said the trip to Calcutta was more fulfilling because it went beyond just the race.
“The confluence of multiple faiths and cultural influences is still so alive in Calcutta. That is what makes the city special,” said Diana Cherian Ahluwalia, 44, another debutante in TSW25K, who had come from Delhi.
Diana landed in Calcutta on December 18. She has already been part of curated tours of the Bow Barracks, Jewish synagogues and Kidderpore. She started running during the pandemic. “Running is the most accessible and inclusive sport. I have a lot of fun while running. I hope it stays that way today,” Diana said before heading to the starting point for the Amateur 25K run.
Shaifali Singh, 49, who came from Bengaluru, has been to Calcutta before, but on very short work trips.
“Running gives you time to explore the city and meet new people. The chill in the air makes the run more enjoyable. The city has been decorated for the Christmas season. I have already visited the Victoria Memorial and dined at Peter Cat. If I survive the 25K, I want to go to Flurys as well,” said Shaifali, who works in real estate.
The first race of the day, the 25K Elite (for professional athletes), began at 5.45am. The 25K Amateur and Vijay Diwas trophy run began minutes later. It was still a good 30 minutes to sunrise. But thousands were raring to go.
“I have never seen so many people out there at the starting line. The vibe was amazing. People were smiling, enjoying themselves. It was beautiful to see,” Kenny Bednarek, double Olympic silver medallist and World Championships gold and silver medallist, the international event ambassador for the race, told this newspaper. He was at the stands, cheering the participants.
Among the elite athletes, Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, the double Olympic champion, won his maiden title in Calcutta. In the international elite women’s race, Ethiopia’s Degitu Azimeraw came first. But the day truly belonged to India’s Gulveer Singh and Seema, both of whom rewrote the course records in their respective elite categories.
Many amateur long-distance runners are coming to run in Calcutta because they want to complete their Procam Slam. It means finishing the distance runs in Delhi (21km), Mumbai (42km), Bangalore (10km) and Calcutta (25km). Procam holds the four races.
Rahul Vijayvargiya, in his late 40s, and Sachinderpalsingh Bhinder, in his early 50s, had come from Mumbai and Jaipur, respectively. Both of them have already completed the races in the other three metros.
“Calcutta has a great vibe. The race is well organised. There are enough hydration points and clean toilets,” said Bhinder.
Vivek Singh, joint managing director of Procam International, organisers of the TSW25K and similar big-ticket races in other cities, said Calcutta had cemented its place as one of the top running destinations in India.
“The weather of Calcutta is almost perfect. Everywhere in the country, the weather is not ideal. The course is such that you can aim for your personal best (timing),” Singh told this newspaper.