BENGALURU : Over 12,000 participants are set to participate in the 13th edition of Bengaluru Midnight Marathon (BMM), scheduled to take place at KTPO in Whitefield on December 7. The event was unveiled by Khwaish Panwar, a youngster who has won several laurels in Taekwondo, on Wednesday.
The marathon has gained immense popularity in the last few years, more so among women runners. According to BMM race director Gul Mohamed Akbar, the participation of women is at about 38 to 40 per cent now, with the runners being involved in the half as well as the full marathon, besides other events. The event includes seven different races – community relay, fun run, 10K run, full marathon, half marathon, corporate replay and startup challenge. ‘Run for Digital India’ is the theme for the year.
This year, a change in timings has been put in place. The full marathon, which used to start at midnight, will begin at 10:30pm. The 5k and 10k runs will start at 6:30 and 8:30pm, respectively, while the half marathon will begin at 10:40pm. The organisers wanted the full marathon to start at 8pm, but things did not go according to plan.
“There was a request from some runners who wanted the race to start a little earlier. We wanted to start the full marathon at 8pm, but the density of traffic, coupled with the ongoing construction work for Metro, couldn’t make it possible. Traffic is a big problem in Whitefield. One has to remember that it is no longer a quiet area,” Akbar said.The event is not going to be only about running. Live entertainment, cultural events and multi-cuisine food court will be the other attractions to keep the participants pumped up throughout the night.