Boost for runners from the hills: Jai Balaji Group Endura has selected six athletes from the hills, in its panel.

EOI, DARJEELING, JANUARY 12, 2023: Providing a much-needed boost to long distance runners from the Darjeeling hills, the Jai Balaji Group Endura has selected six athletes from the hills, in its panel. 

The six athletes will be supported by JBG Endura101 to enable them to continue to invest in their fitness journey and help spread the message of a healthy lifestyle and adopting a structured training programme. 

The JBG Endura 101 is a sports brand which advocates a structured training program to achieve fitness goals and promotes wellness with a holistic approach towards a healthy lifestyle. JBG Endura 101 has been scouting for amateur athletes who have become role models in their community and society by achieving fitness goals through a disciplined and structured training model.

"We had already roped in four amateur athletes in Kolkata few months earlier and today we are thrilled to announce the appointment of six new recruits from Darjeeling in the panel of JBG Endura Athletes," said Nishant Maheshwari, of Sportiz. Maheshwari said runners and athletes from the hills were naturally talented and had sporting genes. "The terrain here is perfect for running. The weather is also good. We have found that runners from the hills are naturally gifted with stamina and endurance. It was a prudent decision to scout for talents here and provide them the right platform and facilities to take their dreams forward," he said.

The lucky selected six are a vibrant mix of talents from across the hills society. Vikram Rai, a college teacher by profession who took up running late said it was an opportunity for the hills to have got the support of a big company to pursue the idea of running. "We do have marathons in the hills and also participate in other states. But now we will have a solid support with the backing of the JBG Endura," he said. Rai took up running at the ripe age of35 years and in the last seven years has completed more than 12000 kms of running and also participate in the marathon in Germany, last year. Rai is the founder of VikRun Foundation that promotes running and a healthy lifestyle in the hills.

Next is Karma Tshering Bhutia a 49 years old runner. In 2022 Bhutia won three podium positions standing first in his age category in the TSK 25K in Kolkata and second in Sikkim NamchiRun and Darjeeling Hill Marathon. Another late starter,

Sunita Subba a mother of a15 yea4-old-boy has also been selected in the panel. Sunita started running in2016 and is also known as the endurance queen of Darjeeling winning Ultraraces across the country. Subba was first in the Ladakh Silk Route Ultra 122kms and in the Delhi Stadium Run where she covered 104 kms in 12hours. She came second in the Kalimpong Silk Route50 km and third in the HellRace in Sandakphu in 2021and 2022. At a young age of19, Suraj Thami is already making a mark in the running circuit with his personal best timing of 35minutes and 05 second which is clocked in the TSK25K Kolkata. Also selected in the panel is civic police volunteer Asish Subba who has won the 65 km Hell Race in 2021 and 2022 and the Gangtok Marathon in 2020and came second in the Gurudongmar Marathon, the world's highest marathon. Completing the                                                         panel list from the hills is Sammy Chamling, mother to an eight year old and a yoga instructor, running since the last six years. JBG Endura 101 is also an app in the making which will have specially curated training programs by international athletes for running and cycling along with LIVE yoga and Zumb asessions by qualified instructors