Hundreds of participants arrived in Puducherry for the Auroville Marathon on Sunday. The event, which started in 2008, is considered one of the best runs in the region.
It was divided into three parts - full marathon (42km), half marathon (21km) and 10-km run. The third category, however, was not open to the public, one of the organisers said.
The marathon started at visitors centre, going past Bharat Nivas, through Bliss Forest, ending at the Matrimandir main gate. Participants of the full marathon traversed the circuit twice.
According to P. Deepak, one of the participants who came in from Chennai, the Auroville Marathon is very tough for people who are used to running on the road, with most of the run being on a dirty road, and a small portion on concrete.
The Auroville Marathon started as a celebration of the 40 year of the founding of Auroville, with training given to locals and invitations being sent out to some participants from Chennai and Bangalore. Following a good response from participants, it has become an annual event, the organiser said.
