VIJAYAWADA: A group of 48 Spanish and Indian participants will run to raise funds for the Rural Development Trust’s (RDT) developmental activities, covering 170 km across Anantapur district.
The race, which will take place on January 24 and 25, aims to sponsor 500 children from the rural areas and to raise ₹18 lakh for providing orthopaedic trauma care to people with disabilities.
The marathon will start from Muddenayanapalli of Kalyandurg mandal on January 24 and will pass through Kaparlapalli, RDT’s Kalyandurg Hospital, Kanekal, Kuderu, BK Samudram, Anantapur, Anantapur Sports Village (ASV), and RDT Inclusive School before culminating in Bathalapalli at the memorial of Father Vicente Ferrer, founder of RDT, January 25.
Transition points
Participants, divided into nine teams of four people each, will take turns at every 10 km to cover the circuit.
They will be able to rest and wait for their relay in the 17 established transition points.
The initiative, known as the Anantapur International Relay Ultra Marathon, has been launched by 43-year-old Spanish marathoner Juan Manuel Viera.
Earlier, the marathoner extended his support to the developmental activities of the RDT by running 140 km in 2016 to raise funds to sponsor one child per each km. However, the event exceeded the expectations by raising funds to sponsor 301 children from Anantapur.
Community Running Day
A Community Running Day will also take place on January 22 at 9 a.m. at ASV to promote athletics and the healthy benefits it offers. More than 100 boys and girls will participate in the activity.
“Since its inception in 1969, RDT has endeavoured to improve the quality of life of rural poor, especially among marginalised and underprivileged communities. To this effect, the RDT works towards ensuring adequate and quality education, empowerment of women, alleviating poverty by providing decent livelihood opportunities, improvement of living conditions and a healthy environment,” said a release from the trust.
