Kalimpong’s first marathon to be held on May 1

EOI, SILIGURI, 8 Apr 2015: This is for the first time a marathon is to held in Kalimpong to select Olympians from the hills. Speaking at a Press conference on Wednesday, international marathon champion Roshni Rai said Run with Roshni is to organize a half marathon from Kalimpong to Pedong on May 1. 

Notably, Run with Roshni is an organization established to felicitate martyrs of the Gorkha battalion. Rai said the prime objective of North Africa’s 89km ‘Comrade Marathon’ is to honour the soldiers who give up lives top protect motherland and that Kalimpong’s half marathon would be arranged for a similar purpose. While answering a certain question, Rai said athletes from Kenya give tough competitions to the others in an international level because children in Kenya naturally grow up with the skill as they are compelled to run in order to reach schools which are very less in numbers. 

She said Darjeeling’s condition is also similar hence if students are given proper and scientific training since childhood the hill station would produce great Olympians in days to come. 

The 1st marathon at Kalimpong will be staged with 50 competitors and 40 names have already been enrolled. The first three winners will be eligible of competing at the Mumbai Marathon and sponsorers are being contacted in this regard, added Rai.