Uttar Pradesh: Pandemic causes break in 36-year-old tradition of Indira Marathon

The famous run is held every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and just for the second time since its inception in 1985, the All India Prize Money Indira Marathon was not held in the city on its scheduled date (November 19). The famous run is held every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Participants run during 34th All India Prize Money Indira Marathon organised to mark the birth anniversary of late Indira Gandhi, in Prayagraj, in 2018. (PTI File)

The run was also not held in 1990, but the organisers did hold the run in January 1991, therefore managing to organise the event in the annual 1990-91 sports calendar .

The marathon was conceptualised in 1985 in the memory of the late Indira Gandhi. Initially, winners would win a cash prize of Rs50,000 while the first and second runners-up were given a cash award of Rs25,000 and Rs15,000, respectively. Later, the prize money was raised to Rs1 lakh for the winner, and for the last two years, the prize money has been enhanced to Rs2 lakh for the winner of both men and women categories, while the first and second runners-up are given Rs1 lakh and Rs75,000, respectively. In addition to this, 11 consolation prizes are also given of Rs10,000 each.

The marathon, covering a total distance of 42.195km, starts from Anand Bhawan, the ancestral home of the Nehru-Gandhi family, and passes through Teliarganj, Mayo Hall crossing, the high court, CMP College, Allahabad Agricultural Institute, Yamuna bridge, Hanuman temple and terminates at Madan Mohan Malviya stadium.

The run also has a rich legacy of top long-distance runners of the country participating every year.

“The run has witnessed performances of ace runners of the country, and had it not been for the present crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic, the marathon would have been held this year too. We don’t have any information on whether it will be held in the present calendar year or not,” said district sports officer Anil Tiwari.

Last year, Amethi’s Rahul Kumar (Naib Subedar) won in the men’s category while Harendra Chauhan came second. Hetram of Himachal Pradesh finished third.

Likewise, Shyamali of West Bengal won in the women’s category and Neeta Patel of Prayagraj and Anita Rani of Haryana secured the second and third positions, respectively.

In 2018, the men’s category saw BS Dhoni of India Army (Pune) win. The same year, in the women’s category, Jyoti Shankar Gavate of Maharashtra set a record by winning for the sixth consecutive time.