The Kolkata Marathon (officially IDBI Federal Life Insurance Kolkata Full Marathon) is a marathon held annually in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was launched in 2008. The marathon is the largest in Eastern India and the only full marathon held in Kolkata.[1][2][3][4]
| Kolkata Marathon | |
|---|---|
 2017 logo of Kolkata Marathon | |
| Date | Early February |
| Location | Kolkata, India |
| Distance | Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10K |
| Primary sponsor | AgeasFederal Life Insurance |
| Established | 2008 |
| Course records | Men: 2:19:30 Satya Prakash (2014)Women: 3:16:56 Anjali Saraogi (2019) |
| Official site | Kolkata Marathon |
| Participants | ≈6,000 participants (2022) 841 (2019) |
Organisation edit
"The moment they approached me for the event, I said, yes. Kolkata has a special place in my heart as I have spent many formative years of my life here. To see the event grow from the first edition to the ninth edition, in terms of participation and even awareness in the city has been an interesting journey."
-Leander Paes after becoming Brand Ambassador of 2016 edition of the marathon[5]
The marathon is authorised by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). For 2016 edition IDBI Federal Life Insurance will be the title sponsors of the marathon. The marathon is managed by the HighLife Management.[6] The 2016 marathon will also be an official qualifier round for the marathon events in the Rio Olympics 2016.[5]
IDBI Federal Life Insurance is the title sponsor for 2017 edition of the race.[7] Indian cricket player Sachin Tendulkar is the Brand Ambassador for the 2017 marathon.
Participants edit
The race has five categories of competition. Along with the traditional full and half marathon distances, there is also a 10 km open run, 10 km corporate run and 5 km fun run for children. In the first edition of the marathon, nearly 6,000 runners participated; the number of runners increased to 15,000 in 2015.[5] Only Indian athletes are eligible for the prize money; according to organisers, the aims of the marathon are to provide a platform for Indian competitors and to promote athletics at the grass-root level in India.[1][6] In 2015, the prize money for the winner of the full marathon was ₹3.2 lakh (US$4,000), while 2nd and 3rd finishers were awarded ₹1.6 lakh (US$2,000) and ₹0.8 lakh (US$1,000) respectively.[8]
Course edit
The marathon starts from the Red Road in front of the Rangers club. The course then goes through the various landmarks in the city, including historic Park Street, Maidan and the Victoria area.[1][5]
Past winners edit
Key: Course record Half marathon
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2008 | Bhairon Singh (IND)
|
2:20:53 | Winner not available | Time not available |
| 2nd | 2009 | Binning Lyngkhoi (IND)
|
2:21:07 | ||
| 3rd | 2010 | Binning Lyngkhoi (IND)
|
2:20:49 | ||
| — | 2011 | Did not held | |||
| — | 2012 | ||||
| — | 2013 | ||||
| 4th | 2014 | Satya Prakash (IND)
|
2:19:30 | Winner not available | Time not available |
| 5th | 2015 | Laljee Yadav (IND)
|
2:25:54 | ||
| 6th | 2016 | Mohammad Yunus (IND)
|
2:30:35 | ||
| 7th | 2017 | Abul Hossain (IND)
|
2:34:02 | Pooja Jain (IND)
|
4:59:11 |
| 8th | 2018 | Akhil Verma (IND)
|
2:35:10 | Rashmi Somani (IND)
|
4:19:36 |
| 9th | 2019 | Tlanding Wahlang (IND)
|
2:35:42 | Anjali Saraogi (IND)
|
3:16:56 |
| 10th | 2020 | Awadh Yadav (IND)
|
2:30:30 | Anjali Saraogi (IND)
|
3:24:02 |
| 11th | 2021 | Dulu Sarkar (IND)
|
2:37:44 |  Phurba Tamang (NPL)
|
3:58:02 |
| 12th | 2022 | Rupan Debnath (IND)
|
2:42:42 | Tamali Basu (IND)
|
4:01:16 |
References edit
- ^ a b c "9th edition of Kolkata Marathon take place in city on Mar 6". Central Chronicle. 24 December 2015. Archived from the original on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- ^ Ians (23 December 2015). "Kolkata Marathon Scheduled for March 6". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- ^ Sudeshna Banerjee @Sudsports (23 December 2015). "I am hungry to win another Olympic medal: Leander Paes". Sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- ^ "IDBI Federal LifeInsurance announces Title Sponsorship of Kolkata Marathon – INDIAN NEWS & TIMES : INDIAN NEWS & TIMES". Indiannewsandtimes.com. 23 December 2015. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Ninth edition of Kolkata marathon to be held on March 6". NewsX. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- ^ a b "IDBI Federal Life Insurance announces Title Sponsorship of Kolkata Marathon". EquityBulls.com. 24 December 2015. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- ^ http://www.kolkatafullmarathon.com/Sponsors.html [better source needed]
- ^ PTI (8 February 2015). "Lalji Yadav, Sajivani win Kolkata Marathon – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 February 2019.