The 11th edition of the Walkaroo Coimbatore Marathon 2023 organised by the Coimbatore Cancer Foundation witnessed participation of over 18,500 runners from across the country on Sunday.
Flagged off by former Director General of Police C. Sylendra Babu and Coimbatore District Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati, the marathon runners competed in three categories — 21.1 km half marathon, 10 km run, and 5 km run. Along the route, which began at Stanes Schools, supporters were seen cheering the runners with placards and bottles of water for the participants.
While many runners participated for personal records, they also vied for a total prize money amounting to over ₹4.25 lakh. “I trained for four months leading up to the marathon after hearing about the prize. But, even if I did not get the prize, running a marathon is always a fun experience,” said Kamala Anand (26), a three-time participant from Bengaluru.
In the men’s and women’s categories in each of the three races, Nanhen Verma and Lithanya Sree secured top spots in the 21.1 km half marathon; M. Sathish Kumar and Kiruthika were the first in the 10 km marathon; and John Kennedy and Shiji Anthony were the winners in the veteran category of the 21.1 km half marathon. E..J. Joseph and Amuthanayagi won the 5 km race, which witnessed maximum participation with 10,100 runners.
T. Balaji, Managing Trustee of the Coimbatore Cancer Foundation, expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support from governmental agencies, event partners, and volunteers.
The event concluded with a prize distribution ceremony at Stanes School Ground, where marathon director Ramesh Ponnuswami announced that the next edition was scheduled for December 2024.
