The Guwahati Half Marathon was organised today by the students of the Indian Institute of Technology - Guwahati, attended by 'Chak de! India' film director Shimit Amin.
The event started with the professional's marathon of 21 km in the morning with runners from 11 states participating.
This was followed by the 6 km run for the general public with students of different schools and colleges and members of various organisations coming forward to take part in the event.
The runners covered MG Road, Ferry Ghat, Nehru Park, B Barua Road to culminate at the Nehru Stadium.
Addressing the programme as chief guest and brand ambassador for the event, Shimit Amin said, "Organising events like these prepares the students to face the real problems in life. The small difficulties they face here and the way they manage them is what they need to learn."
"Running together brings a lot of energy. Participating is more important than winning in huge events like these. I really hope that this spirit continues for years to come," Amin said.
The Marathon was organised as part of the 16th edition of 'Techniche', the Annual Techno-Management Festival of the technology institute, to be held at the IIT-Guwahati campus from September 4 to 7, said a spokesman for the students organising the event.
Ever since its inception in 2009, the Marathon has evolved over the years to currently stand as the largest half Marathon in North East India, the spokesman said.
Total prizes worth Rs three lakh were given away to the winners apart from trophies and certificates to the top three teams, he added.
