BHUBANESWAR: Depury chief minister Pravati Parida and Olympian Saina Nehwal on Sunday flagged off the Bhubaneswar Half Marathon, organised by Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), at the Kalinga Stadium here.
The event, aimed at promoting fitness and sports culture, celebrated 50 years of Coal India. It featured many categories including 21 km half marathon, 10 and 5 km runs and a 1.5 km fun run. People across all age groups and sportspersons participated in the event.
Lili Das from West Bengal and Prince Kumar from Uttar Pradesh were the overall winners of the Half Marathon in the female and male categories, respectively. Parida and Nehwal, who was the event ambassador, presented the prizes to the winners.
In a release, MCL and Coal India stated that the marathon highlighted Coal India’s legacy while promoting the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle.
Among others, ministers Suresh Pujari, Suryabanshi Suraj, MP Pradeep Purohit, chief secretary Manoj Ahuja, MLAs Ashok Mohanty, Agasti Behera and Pratap Chandra Pradhan, chairman of Coal India PM Prasad and CMD of MCL Uday Anant Kaole were present.