The beautiful hill town of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh hosted its first marathon event on Sunday. Named the Tawang Marathon, this event saw participation from a large number of participants. Participants in the event also included foreign nationals.
The Tawang Marathon 2023 was jointly organized by the Indian Army and the government of Arunachal Pradesh. The dignitaries flagged off the high-altitude marathon on the morning of Sunday, October 1. And it came to an end by the afternoon.
This high-altitude marathon posed several unique challenges to the participants. The chief among them was transportation as Tawang is located far from major transportation hubs. However, the event still managed to draw a large number of participants. Tawang Marathon 2023 got a total of 2463 successful registrations. This number included a total of 543 women. The participants included local people as well as citizens from other states of the country. International participants were also part of the marathon. It is important to note that only three participants failed to complete the event.
Representatives from the armed forces of the UK took part in this event. A large number of personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces also ran in this marathon. The foreigners praised the natural beauty of the region as well as the organizers for conducting the same in such a picturesque location.
The Tawang Marathon 2023 had a total of four categories for participation. These included the Full Marathon of 42 km, Half Marathon of 21 km as well as a 10 km and a 5 km event. The dignitaries distributed the awards among the winners at the conclusion of the run. Arjun Pradhan and Priyanka Kanwar won in the Full Marathon category. Prem Kumar and Aarti Bardhan won in the Half Marathon category. Ramesh Kumar and Rajshree M won the 10 Km race while Ankul Kumar and Tenzin Choikey won the 5 Km run.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju and chief minister Pema Khandu attended the Tawang Marathon along with other dignitaries. They expressed their happiness over the successful conduct and large participation in the event. They also mentioned that owing to its popularity, this event will be made an annual marathon. Wherein people will be able to experience the rich cultural heritage of the state.
