Pune: The dawn of 20th November brought a cheerful present to Waikars as over 3000 runners participated in the Garware Wai Half Marathon. This marked the third year of Garware Wai’s Marathon, and runners from different cities including Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Pune, Mumbai, and more participated. The Marathon marked a significant checkpoint in Team Wai Sports Foundation’s Fit India, Hit India movement. Garware Technical Fibres Limited, which has been the Title Sponsor for this Marathon since its inception, continued the tradition of this healthy run for Waikars.
The Marathon was split into 3 categories, 21 km, 10 km, and a 3 km fun run for the kids. The Marathon that started from Dravid Highschool Ground steered through Mahaganapti bridge, Gangapuri, Bhogav via Menvali, Varkhadwadi, Dhom and concluded at Shindewadi. The 21 Km marathon continued back to Dravid Highschool ground from Shindewadi. The 10 Km run concluded at Menvali. The Kids Fun Run went from Rutugandh Hotel to Dravid High School.
People from all age groups participated in the Marathon. A whopping number of over 39 participants took home medals for their achievement across Marathon categories and age groups. The record time of 1 hour 09 minutes and 43 seconds for a 21 Km run got marked by Balu Pukale, who topped the runner’s chart.
The 2 month long efforts put towards the Garware Wai Half Marathon finally came to fruition with a great response. Over 320 employees from Garware Technical Fibres Limited, the title sponsor of the Garware Wai Half marathon, also participated in the marathon. The goal of this activity which was to raise awareness and encourage people towards a healthy lifestyle does seem to be achieved.
