Thousands Of Runners Participate In First KGF Heritage Ultra Marathon
Thousands of runners from across the nation gathered in Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) on Sunday morning to participate in the inaugural KGF Heritage Ultra Marathon. The sporting event, which commenced at 6:15 a.m., featured race categories of 70, 50, 25, and 12.5 kilometres, alongside shorter 5-kilometre and 3-kilometre runs for local school and college students.
The marathon was organized by the Beyond Excellence Sports Trust (BEST). While the event was originally scheduled to take place in Hoskote, organizers Kamalanathan, Rajan, Prosit, and Naveen chose to host it in KGF to showcase the region's rich history and sports culture.
Participants were welcomed at the start with a traditional band set and Chandimela. The Municipal Ground was decorated for the occasion, and welcome banners were installed across the district. Out-of-town runners were provided with accommodation and T-shirts by the organizers.
Several prominent figures and professional athletes took part in the event. Randeep D., the Secretary to Government for the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, participated in the 12.5-kilometre run. Indian national ultra-running team members Amar Singh Devendra, Sourav K Ranjan, and Velu P, who previously won the Asian Championship, also competed in the ultra-marathon categories.
Addressing the crowd, KGF Superintendent of Police Shivanshu Rajput stated that this was the first event in KGF to receive such an extraordinary response. He encouraged the gathering to run regularly and to build health awareness among local youth and school children.
KGF MLA Roopa Kala Sashidhar highlighted the historic athletic culture of KGF and assured her administrative and political backing for similar youth-focused sports events in the future.
To ensure safety across the course, Deputy Superintendent of Police Lakshmaiah and Superintendent Rajput coordinated security arrangements along the running routes, which extended to the borders of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The event also featured a Zumba fitness session before the 70-kilometre run concluded in the evening.
