: The early hours and overcast conditions did not prove to be a deterrent for Major Devender Pal Singh from taking up the challenge and finishing it.
Amidst a huge round of applause from the massive crowd present on the ground, the Kargil-war hero completed the distance of 21.1 km with such élan that captivated even the able-bodied runners.
The iron will exhibited by ‘The Challenging Ones’, a pack of 19 blade runners led by D.P Sing, drew the praise of Kochiites who gathered to witness the second edition of the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Spice Coast Marathon 2015 here on Sunday.
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Whilst Mr. Singh ran the half marathon, his team-mates, hailing from different parts of the country, wearing their blades and prosthetic limbs were taking part in their first 5k, the first ever running event after their limbs were amputated.
The event, in which races were held in three different segments, witnessed participation for as many as 2,300 runners from across the world. Paul Anthony, Chairman, Cohin Port trust flagged off the full marathon of 42.1 km, in which about 175 runners took part, at 4 in the morning.
Half Marathon flagged off at 5 a.m., with approximately 800 participants crossing the starting line.
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About 15 teams comprising 4 each took part in the corporate relay, with Suyati taking the first and third positions, and Fragomen coming on 2nd position
Results:
Male – Full Marathon (42.1km): Vijayaraghavan Venugopal won the title (3:14:37), Brijesh Gajera runner-up (3:21:31) and Sankarnarayanan Venkatraman 3rd position (3:24:05) (42.1km)
Women – Full Marathon (42.1km): Claire Briggs won the title (4:35:44), Ankita Verma runner-up (5:02:380), and Alysia Sawicka 3rd position (5:09:41)
Male – Half Marathon (21.1km): Vijesh V won the title (1:19:07), Avinesh Kumar runner-up (1:23:31) and Velmurugan Kumar 3rd position (1:27:11)
Women – Half Marathon (21.1km): Lakshmi Nair won the title (2:00:47), Shamala Manmohan runner-up (2:02:20), Babita Baruwati 3rd position (2:07:17)