Vikesh emerges winner, Spiti’s Tenzin secures women’s title
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The second edition of Snow Marathon, the world’s highest snow marathon at 10,000 feet, organized by Reach India in association with Lahaul and Spiti District Administration was successfully organized at Sissu (Lahaul).
The marathon was conducted in four categories – Full Marathon (42 Km), Half Marathon (21 Km), 10 Km and 5 Km wherein 252 runners from across the country participated.
In 42 Km (Full Marathon) race was won by Vikesh while Kushal secured the second position. In the girls’ section, Spiti’s Tenzin Dolma won the race.
In the 21 kilometer half marathon, Aneesh Chandel grabbed the first position while Pawan had to settle for the second position.
In the women’s category, Palak Thakur of Kullu won the half marathon title. Rustam of Mandi won the race in the 10 kilometer category, while Sanna won the race in the women’s category.
Dr Rohit, AC to Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul, felicitated the winners in the presence of Reach India’s CEO Rajeev Kumar, Organizer Gaurav Shimmer, Event Execution Head Rajesh Chand and Chief Advisor Col. Natarajan.
The winners were awarded by Garmin India. Around 252 runners from across the country had converged for this annual marathon in four different categories. Wide participation of defence personnel especially Navy and Indian Army was witnessed in this edition.
The runners from South India, J&K, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, North East saw tough competition in the marathon. A medical team of Fortis Hospital, Mohali provided medical services to deal with any untoward incident with the runners on the 42 kilometer marathon route.
The program was supported by Bonn, Indofil and Fasten Up. Rajeev Kumar said that the event was successful amid great enthusiasm. He hoped that such events would not only promote tourism in Lahaul Valley but also establish the district in the adventure sports map.
At the sidelines of the Snow Marathon Lahaul, the world’s first dog race – Snow Tails was also organized which was aimed to further strengthen the mutual love between pets, especially dogs and their owners. A total of 14 dogs along with their owners participated in the event organized by Manali Strays, an NGO working for the rehabilitation of stray animals in Manali. Froggy along with his owner Sourav won the first prize while Chinky and her owner Vinaya stood second. Leo’s owner Vedraj was placed third.