Over 550 runners take on marathon challenge
JAMMU : The third edition of the Patnitop Marathon organised at the namesake tourist resort town on Sunday witnessed participation of more than 550 enthusiastic runners and fitness lovers from across the country.
Billed as India’s most “beautiful” hill race, Patnitop Marathon is an initiative of IronMan Kapil Arora, an international tri-athlete, ultramarathoner and a Fit India ambassador. The marathon is supported by Patnitop Development Authority (PDA), directorate of tourism Jammu, district administrations of Ramban, Udhampur and Skyview by Empyrean, Patnitop, an official spokesperson said.
Being organised under the “Visit Patnitop” event series, there were four categories of the run viz, 21.09 km, 10 km, 5 km and 1 km. The 1-km category was introduced this time for children.
The half marathon (21.097 km) was flagged off by Udhampur deputy magistrate Sachin Kumar Vaishy, Udhampur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vinod Kumar, PDA chief executive Thakur Sher Singh and Kapil Arora at 6 a from Skyview Terrace Patnitop. They too ran with the participants towards Nathatop as did Jammu deputy magistrate Avny Lavasa.
“Winding trails, scenic views and cool breeze all through the marathon route made it special for the participants across ages ranging from five to above 60 years, and coming from different states such as Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab,” the spokesperson said.
Akshay Sharma and Rimpy Sharma emerged as the fastest male and female runners in the 21.09- km category. Raghav Sharma and Lavasa were the winners in the 10-km run, while Sunil Kumar and Ayushi Gupta came out on top in the 5-km category.
“Getting breathless while running in a breathtaking place is a thrill. Patnitop should host more such events,” an athlete from Andhra Pradesh said.
Sher Singh, meanwhile said, “The Patnitop Marathon is growing with every edition and bringing together the acclaimed running community from all over the country. A lot of the participants in today’s event were visiting and experiencing Patnitop for the first time. Sporting events like these reiterate our commitment to wellness and sustainable tourism.”