Darjeeling gears up for half marathon

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Jan. 7. The Darjeeling police in association with The Telegraph will be organising a 21km half marathon on January 12, in which over 2,000 people from across the country are expected to participate.

The second Amway Darjeeling Police Marathon is being organised by Darjeeling police to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and to strengthen the police-public relations. The first run was held on January 12 last year.

Akhilesh Chaturvedi, the Darjeeling superintendent of police, today said: "The half marathon will start from Sukhiapokhri and end at Chowrasta on January 12. The winner, first runner-up and second runner-up in both the male and female categories will get cash awards of Rs 1.5 lakh, Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000, respectively."

The race will start at 9am. The marathon, whose tagline is "Run for Peace, Run for Happiness", is being organised in collaboration with the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and the state government.

"The last date for submission of forms is January 11. After the submission of forms is complete, the participants will have to undergo a medical test," Chaturvedi said.

According to the district police chief, over 2,000 participants are expected for the half marathon.

"We are getting a lot of inquiries from Calcutta and Siliguri. Runners from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkhand, Jharkhand, Bihar and some other states have also submitted forms," Chaturvedi said.

The winners will be handed a trophy and cash prize by chief minister Mamata Banerjee during the Himal-Terai-Dooars Sports Festival, which will be held at Lebong on January 21.

"The top ten contestants in both the male and female categories will also receive consolation prizes," said Sudip Sarkar, the additional superintendent of police, Darjeeling.