5,000 runners participated in marathon for a social cause

CHENNAI: After two years of virtual formats of marathon due to the pandemic, the 11th edition of Hexaware Dream Runners Half Marathon was held on Sunday. Over 5,000 runners from different parts of the country participated in the marathon. The main social cause of this initiative is to provide prosthetic limbs deserving amputees.

Health minister Ma Subramanian flagged off and took part in running 21.1 km in this event. The marathon saw 1,700 runners in 21.1 Km and 3,300 in 10 Km categories which includes many women runners, several runners over the age of 60 both men and women, the Indian Army, Navy, Coastal Guards, Tamil Nadu Police, and other central agencies.

"After two years of the Covid pandemic, the physical marathon was conducted today starting from Besant Nagar. However, people could not join from other countries as well as from the Chennai city fearing the virus. There is an option for a virtual marathon which will be continued till July 31," said Radha Rangarajan, Race director of Dream Runners.

She added that the participants can submit the running record and the certificate will be sent to them. We have tied up with an NGO, Freedom Trust. The funds we received through the registration, the prosthetic limbs provided to the people of that organization.

So far, 650 limbs are given to the deserving amputees, and with the registration fee of today's event another 250 people will be benefited. Additionally, in the last two days at least 25 beneficiaries got their prosthetic limbs, and they participated in the walking and cycling on Sunday.

Dream runners have been training runners who have never run before with a free training program across 12 of its chapters in Chennai. Many of the trainees ran their first 10 Km today.