Creating awareness about organ donation was the primary cause for the Dream Runners half Marathon (DRHM) this year.
The event that was held early on Sunday near the Besant Nagar Beach, saw the participation of around 3,000 runners, who had registered for the event. Nearly 30 transplant recipients also participated in the run.
DRHM conducted the event in association with the Cadaver Transplant Programme of the Government of Tamil Nadu and Mohan Foundation. DHRM also introduced Charity-Bibs, to support victims of the Uttarakhand Disaster.
State Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan flagged off the 21.1-km run, while Dr M Rajaram (IAS) of the Information Commission, flagged off the 10-km run.
Walter Devaram, president of the Tamil Nadu Athletic Association, awarded the prizes and medals to the male and female winners in both categories.
”The event started around 5 am and it was encouraging to see a lot of runners, who chose to sacrifice their sleep on a Sunday morning for a cause. The event came to end at 8 am when the runners reached the destination spot. One could see a sense of achievement in everybody’s face after running the whole stretch and everybody praised the enthusiasm from the volunteers that encouraged other runners,” said Dinesh Victor, organiser of DRHM.