The Vizag Navy Marathon of the Eastern Navy Command (ENC) kicked off in Vishakhapatnam on Sunday morning, which witnessed the participation of more than 19,000 people.
The event was flagged off by the Director-General of Police (DGP) Gowtham Sawang. The marathon included four categories, Courage Run (Full Marathon), Destiny Run (Half Marathon), Friendship Run (10 Km) and Run for Fun (5 Km).
"It is lovely to see the number of happy and fit participants of this marathon," said Sawang.
Speaking to ANI, Atul Kumar Jain, ENC chief, said, "The event was a huge success. We had a very modest beginning when we held the first edition of the marathon in 2014, with 1,400 participants. Today, we have more than 19,000 participants, out of which 2,000 participants are women."
Jain further said that the marathon was certified by AIMS - Association of International Marathon and Distance Races.
"The aim of this marathon is to create an eco-friendly environment for all, through the use of three R's - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. I would request each and every one to ensure that no waste is left behind so that the city stays clean," he added.
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Jain further thanked the contribution of the Andhra DGP and his team along with the citizens, stating that without their support an event of this magnitude would not have been possible.
All runs were flagged off from near RK Beach Road, Visakhapatnam. The race route would be running parallel to the scenic seashore of the city towards GITAM University and beyond. The entire marathon is said to be longer than 42 kilometres.
"It is the first time that I have participated in such a marathon. The preparations of this event have been well arranged, and it feels good to participate for the navy." said a participant.
The Vizag Navy Marathon is stated to be the only full marathon in the entire Andhra Pradesh.