5,000 to take part in virtual Vadodara Marathon

VADODARA: Since over a decade, MG Vadodara International Marathon (VM) has become an annual sporting festival for Barodians. However, for the first time, marathoners participated in the virtual race organized by the VM management. Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani virtually flagged off the race that took off on Monday.
Over 5,300 runners from Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and many other cities have participated in this virtual marathon that will continue till January 10.“Vadodara Marathon has become an integral part of the city’s character as thousands participate in this race every year. Due to Covid-19 guidelines, it wouldn’t have been possible to organize the annual opening flag off ceremony. But we didn’t want the race enthusiasts to miss the event,” said Tejal Amin, VM chairperson.
“So, we organised the virtual run wherein the participants will run individually according to their own schedule and record the timings,” Amin added. Like every year, the participants are running in the category of 10 kilometres, 21 kilometres and 42 kilometres category apart from the five kilometre fun run as well as walkathon.
The runners will have to update their timings on the link provided to them to confirm that they finished the race. They can use any mobile running app to record their participation. Results of the race will be declared on January 15 after proper verification and those finishing the race will be given medals, if they opt for it during the registration.
“We have dedicated the MGVM Virtual Marathon 2021 to all the frontline health workers, emergency personnel, all the Covid patients and those who have recovered from the virus,” Amin said.