GUWAHATI:
About 1500 people from different walks of life took to the streets of Guwahati to participate in the 12 edition of the 2022 Guwahati Half Marathon, on April 24.
This year, the half marathon’s theme was “Run for Child Protection, Stand up with #Youth4Suraksha”.
In a bid to promote a better social and human interaction among the residents in and around Guwahati and spread awareness to prevent crimes such as child labour, child abuse, child trafficking, cyber-crimes against children, and issues such as illiteracy, hunger, and lack of development, the 21 km run began on Sunday morning from the ABITA Indoor Stadium, Gandhi Basti and was soon followed by the 6 km run for the general public.
The 2022 Guwahati Half Marathon appealed to people to be a part of the change for the prosperity of society. It also urged people to become more responsible for prevalent issues in society.
Ashok Kumar Bharali, general secretary of Assam Athletic Academy, was the marathon’s formal guest of honour. He was joined by Dipak Kumar, regional director of National Service Scheme (NSS), who was the guest of honour in felicitating the winners during the prize ceremony. The event was also graced by the presence of the special guest senior ACS officer Nibedan Das Patowary and Munna Prasad Gupta, an Ex-IPS commissioner. The latter also participated in the 21 km run.
Organised as a part of “Techniche”, the 24th edition of the Indian Institute of Technology – Guwahati (IIT-G) technical celebration, in association with UNICEF Assam, the marathon boasts of one of the largest events of its kind to be managed entirely by a student body. Since its inception in 2009, the marathon, over the years, has evolved coherently to become the largest half marathon in northeast India.