Leading runners confirm participation for Vasai-Virar Marathon
The country’s leading runners, led by defending champion Neeraj Pal Singh and 2013 champion Elam Singh, will be the star attractions in the men’s full race in the 5th edition of the Vasai Virar Mayor’s Marathon, to be held in Vasai and Virar on Sunday, November 22, 2015.
From left to right, Anand Menezes, Olympian athlete; Narayan Mankar, ex-Mayor Vasai Virar; Kshitij Thakur, MLA; Smt. Pravina Thakur, the first woman Mayor of Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation; Umesh Naik, Deputy Mayor of the Corporation and Govind Rathod, Additional Municipal Commissioner, pose with the milestones during the launch.
Another key feature of the 5th edition of this event is an increased prize-money, to the tune of Rs 26 lakh plus which will be on offer, making the Vasai Virar Mayors Marathon the richest National-level prize money event for Indian athletes and amateurs.
This was announced by Smt. Pravina Thakur the first Woman Mayor of the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation, in the presence of Shri Kshitij Thakur, MLA, Shri Umesh Naik, Deputy Mayor of the Corporation, Shri Rajeev Patil, first Mayor of the Corporation, Shri Satish Lokhande (IAS), Municipal Commissioner. Also present were representatives of Tab Cab, Vehicle Partner to the event, Squeezers, the Water Partner to the event and IASIS Hospital, the Medical Partner, besides members of the organizing committee.
The event is once again expected to attract the cream of the country’s long distance talent, along with thousands of serious, amateur participants from Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai as well as the other districts and states in the country.
Besides Neeraj Pal Singh and Elam Singh, the other fancied names in the Full Marathon are Nitender Singh Rawat, Prahlad Sahai Meena, Girish Tiwari, Radhey Kumar, Sunil Kumar and Kapil Kumar, to name a few. The Men’s Half Marathon will see participation from athletes like V L Dangi, Rahul Kumar Pal, Gautam Tyagi, Sanjith Luwang, Govind Singh and Hari Shankar Sharma, among others. In the women’s half marathon, defending champion Kavita Raut, who also won the half marathon in Mumbai 2015, will lead the field, followed by Monika Athare, Priyanka Singh Patel, Monika Raut, Rohini Raut, Vijaymala Patil and Manisha Salunkhe.
To encourage and introduce more youngsters from Palghar District to the benefits of running, it has been decided this year to extend participation in the boys’ under-18 11KM run and the girls’ under-18 7KM run to the entire Palghar District. This will also help unearth new talent like Harshad Mhatre, who is one among six athletes from the country, selected by SAI and being groomed for the 2020 Olympics. Mhatre was inspired to train seriously in athletics after finishing 2nd in the boys’ under-13 race held by the Kala Krida Vikas Mandal in 2007. Mhatre has also participated in the Vasai Virar Mayor’s Marathon, finishing first in the Half Marathon among Vasai Taluka participants in 2013.
The winner of the Full Marathon for men will stand to gain Rs 2.50 lakh, an increase of Rs 50,000 over last year, while the male and female winners of the Half Marathon will take home Rs 1.25 lakh each, an increase of Rs 25,000 over last year. There is an increase in the prize money for amateur runners as well in the different age groups.
“The Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation is committed to provide a satisfying running experience to all the participants of the 5th Vasai-Virar Municipal Mayor’s Marathon and invites athletes from all over the state as well as other parts of the country to come and participate in the Open Full Marathon for men and women and the Open Half Marathon for men and women. The event also wants to reach out to the entire population of Vasai-Virar as well as other districts to propagate the message, “Save the Girl Child and Maintain Nature’s Balance,” and “Clean Vasai, Green Vasai” said Hon’ble Mayor, Smt. Pravina Thakur.
Organised by the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation and the Vasai Taluka Kala Krida Vikas Mandal and promoted by Aryanz Sports PR &Events, the Marathon gained National status in 2012 and this edition promises to be bigger and better, with the organizers committed to giving a satisfying running experience to all participants.
Till date around 5000 entries have been received for the half marathon. While 500 plus athletes have registered for the Full Marathon and 600 plus for the 11KM runs. This figure is expected to increase significantly before online registrations shut on November 7, 2015. Around 8,000 participants are expected in the races for the lower age groups, taking the total participation to 17000 plus.
Online registrations can be done from the event website www.vvmcmayorsmarathon.com. Physical copies of the registrations are available at different locations in Vasai-Virar as well as partner outlets, whose locations can be found on the event website. Forms can also be downloaded from the event website www.vvmcmayorsmarathon.com
The timing chip is mandatory for all participants of the Full Marathon, the Half Marathon and the 11 km Run and the registration fee for the same, inclusive of the cost of the Timing Chip, has been fixed at Rs 600.