It was a proud moment for Anish Thapa from Shillong and Kanchi Maya Kozo from Nepal after they won the men’s and women’s races respectively at the Amway Darjeeling Police Marathon in Gangtok on Friday.
The fifth edition of the half marathon witnessed participation from professional runners as well as sports lovers and fitness enthusiasts in both men’s as well as women’s categories.
The marathon, organized by Darjeeling Police with sponsorship support from Amway India, the country’s leading direct selling fast moving consumer goods company, was organized in collaboration with Gorkhaland territorial Administration (GTA) to celebrate the 155th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
The marathon was organized with an aim to spread awareness about health and fitness amongst people in Darjeeling and North Bengal. The sporting event was also dedicated to establish peace and harmony between residents of the hills and plains.
World champion long jumper Anju Bobby George flagged off the marathon at Sukhika Pokhri, a small hilly locality of West Bengal on Friday morning.
Darjeeling Police also felicitated 10 sports personalities from the hills, including former Indian hockey captain Bharat Chettri on the occasion.
The fifth edition of the half marathon covered a stretch of 21 km for the participants.
The winners in all the categories were rewarded with cash prizes, medals and certificates. The first prize carried a cash reward of Rs 1.5 lakh; Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 for the first and second runners-up respectively.
In addition, there were prizes as well as special gift hampers for the top spots.