By IANS,
New Delhi : It is that time of the year again when school children across the country will put on their running shoes to participate in the much awaited Salwan Marathon which kicks off November 6 at the Army Equestrian Centre at Brar Square here.
The marathon is in its 17th edition and will have over 40,000 students participating.
This year the marathon has tied up with ‘Special Olympics Bharat’ and the NGO ‘Butterflies’ to get intellectually challenged students and street kids to participate in the run for the first time, alongwith the students from schools across India for the visually impaired.
The marathon this year has also got the backing of UNICEF and FICCI.
The route this time round will be longer with restricted participation. The special race and the run for under-14 and under-16 categories have been increased by half a kilometre.
Marathon organiser Sanjeev Rai said: “Every year we try to get nearer to our aim of inculcating a spirit of sports amongst an ever widening section of the youth of this country and teach them educational values through sports.
“The marathon is our way of making sports an integral part of every child’s growing years. We intend to replicate this run in various cities in coming years.”
FICCI Additional Director Rajpal Singh complimented the organisers, saying the Salwan Marathon was a trendsetter in promoting sports at the school level in a highly competitive academic environment.
Over 1,200 physical instructors and 3,200 volunteers will supervise the marathon.