DHENKANAL: Tata Steel in association with the Dhenkanal administration and the Odisha Athletic Association held the 3rd edition of the Kapilash Half Marathon on Saturday.
The event themed, ‘Run to Protect Wildlife’, was flagged off by Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra and his counterpart in Higher Education Suryabanshi Suraj. Over 5,500 runners from 14 states participated in the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Patra exhorted all to unite for the protection of biodiversity with a special focus on elephants. Suraj said such events instil responsibility and commitment among the masses and help in promoting good health. Noted dancer from Russia, Elina Tarasova, district collector Ashish Ishwar Patil, DFO Sumit Kar and SP Abhinav Sonkar participated in the marathon.
Among others, MLAs Bibhuti Bhushan Pradhan, Simarani Nayak, Satrughan Jena, Pratap Chandra Pradhan were present.
Panchanan Bera from West Bengal emerged as the winner in the 21km men’s category, while Bharti Nain from Haryana secured victory in the women’s 21 km race.
Vice-president of Tata Steel Corporate Services D B Sundara Ramam said, the half-marathon is a collective call to protect biodiversity and as a sporting event, it is growing as a movement beyond fitness.