Shimla : Ethopian and Ugandan athletes among 400 other Indian participants have given their nod to take part in the 3 rd Shimla marathon on September 25, organisers said.
Besides the 21.1 km half marathon, 6 km runs are also being organised.Men from the Indian army and runners from all over Himachal and India will also take part in the event, said Rahul Verghese, founder of the Running and Living Infotainment, which is organising the run along with the sports department of the state government.
Six Ethopian and one Ugandan have confirmed their intention to participate in the marathon.Their partcipation will enhance the event,they will also will threaten the 1 hour 4 minute record, said organisers.
“We could end up having 500 participants for the runs.In fact 25 runners are above 50 years of which 20 will take part in the marathon,†said Verghese.
Partcipants will be from Shimla,Dharamsala,Solan,Mandi,Palampur,Amritsar,Chandigarh,Kurukshetra,Hissar, Delhi,Tricy,Chennai,Bangalore,Mumbai,Ahmedabad,Kolkatta and Pune.
Besides African athletes, organisers are also expecting runners from Holland and Australia to take part.
In a 20 year career published widely. He has worked for the BBC, AFP, The Statesman, IANS and the Business Standard . Known for his hard hitting writing and occasional off-beat stories. He lives in Shimla.
