26,500 runners, 184 tribal youth and a new Inclusive Run mark NMDC Hyderabad Marathon’s 15th edition

The 15th edition of the NMDC Hyderabad Marathon concluded on Sunday, seeing over 26,500 runners across various categories, including the Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K and Inclusive Run.

The main events which included the Full Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K were held on Sunday, while the 5K and Inclusive Run were conducted on Saturday. About 11,000 runners participated in the full and half marathons and elite categories, while nearly 9,000 took part in the 10K. The 5K and Inclusive Run together drew around 6,500 participants.

The elite races saw strong performances from runners from Ethiopia, Kenya and India. In the women’s elite full marathon, Ethiopia’s Emane Seifu emerged winner. Nirmaben Thakor was the leading woman from India.

A key initiative of this year’s marathon was the introduction of the Inclusive Run, organised in association with the Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation. Around 300 differently-abled participants took part, including 205 persons with disabilities, 37 wheelchair runners from the Telangana and Bengaluru Wheelchair Cricket teams, 14 participants with dwarfism from Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, visually challenged runners and others with disabilities.

Another highlight was the participation of 184 tribal youth from Chhattisgarh, where NMDC operates mining projects. The runners were selected from villages and remote areas and participated in different categories of the marathon for the first time.

The marathon also continued its charitable initiatives, with the organisers stating that it supports 40 NGOs and has raised more than ₹2 crore for various charitable organisations through the event.

Prize money was awarded to the top six finishers, with the winner receiving ₹3 lakh, followed by ₹2.5 lakh for second place and ₹2 lakh for third. The fourth, fifth and sixth-placed runners received ₹1.5 lakh, ₹1 lakh and ₹75,000, respectively.

The organisers have set a target of making the Hyderabad Marathon carbon-neutral within the next three years. As part of the efforts, 35% of runners opted out of receiving T-shirts, while the use of flex cut-outs was reduced.