CCL conducts Coal India Maraton with Grandeur and magnificence

NEW DELHI- The first edition of the Coal India Marathon organized by Central Coalfields Limited on 26/03/2023 under the aegis of Coal India Limited was a grand success. About 5500 athletes from across the country participated in the mega event conducted in four categories: 42 km full marathon, 21km half marathon, 10 km run and a 5 km run. This was the first officially registered marathon of Jharkhand in which various bureaucrats, defense force personnel, and people from all walks of life participated.  

There were separate categories for women and men. The runners started the marathon from Birsa Munda stadium, Morabadi and after going though Kanke and Pithoria finally returned to the Birsa Munda Stadium. The total prize money for the event was Rs 29.70 Lakhs. Which was distributed in different categories. The winner of 42 km got Rs 3 Lakhs while the half marathon winner in both categories netted Rs 2 Lakh. The winner of the 10 km run got Rs 1 Lakh. The full marathon race commenced at 4.30 am and the half marathon race commenced at 4.55 am.

The 10 km race started at 5.30 am while the 5 km race began at 8.30 am.  The run was flagged off by Shri Pramod Agrawal, Chairman Coal India Limited in the presence of Principal Secretary (Revenue) Shri K.K.Soan, Padmashri Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, Padma Shri Shiny Wilson  Padma Shree, Ms Premlata Agarwal  CMD CCL Shri P.M. Prasad, CMD, CMPDIL Shri Manoj Kumar, Director (Pers), CIL Shri Vinay Ranjan,  Director Technical/Operations Sri Ram Baboo Prasad, Director (Personnel) Sri Harsh Nath Mishra, Director(Finance) Sri PK Mishra, Director(P&P) Sri B. Sairam, CVO CCL Shri Pankaj Kumar, Director ( Pers), NCL Shri Manish Kumar  Director, (Pers) ECL Smt. Ahuti Swain, Dir (Pers) BCCL Shri Shri M.K. Ramaiah, Abu Bakr Siddiqui IAS  and other subsidiary companies of Coal India Limited.

The families of the dignitaries also graced the occasion. There was a sense of jubilation in the air, which was amplified by the loud music, LED screens where the event was streaming live and the amazing arrangement of the organizers. The runners braved the early morning chill to participate in  the event and complete the run. The arrangements for the marathon included facilities like a medical point, hydration point, entertainment programs and energy stations.  Enthusiasm was electrifying when this group of some of the best runners in the country were enjoying the scenic beauty of Ranchi while competing with each other.

Chairman CIL Shri Pramod Agrawal stated Coal India Limited is organizing this event to create awareness about the importance of physical fitness amongst the public. CMD, CCL Shri P.M. Prasad said that such events will foster a spirit of sportsmanship, and camaraderie amongst the people, and the company will continue organizing such events in future.  

Dir (Pers), CIL Shri Vinay Ranjan expressed his delight at the successful completion of the event. Rajya Sabha MP Shri Aditya Sahu and MLA Kanke Shri Samri Lal also graced the occasion. Padma Shree Awardees Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, Padma Shri Shiny Wilson  Padma Shree Ms. Premlata Agarwal also congratulated the organizers for successfully conducting the event and hoped that such events would encourage a new generation of runners in Jharkhand who will make the state and country proud. Various eminent sports personalities like Shri Harbans Singh Suri, who competed in the marathon at the 1964 Olympics, along with former Indian captain Shri  Dilip Vengsarkar, and cricketer Shri Ashok Malhotra, have also encouraged the public to participate in the marathon and expressed their delight that the Marathon was being organized in Ranchi. The Athletic Federation of India provided technical support for the event.  The runners from different parts of the country were extremely happy with the facilities provided during the marathon and said that Coal India should keep on organizing such events in the future also.

The top rank in the  Full Marathon men's 42 km category was secured by  Shri Arjun  Tudu hailing from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand who clocked a time of 2 Hr twenty-five minutes and fifty-four seconds while Shri Anil Kumar Singh an army personal stood second. In the female category of the full marathon, Ms Sonika Sonika from Haryana was first and she completed the run in 2 Hrs forty-five minutes and eight seconds, while Ms Tamsi Singh secured the second position. In the half marathon of 21 km male category, Prince Kumar bagged the first prize with a timing of One Hr five minutes and four seconds while in women category Rima Patel a railway employee from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh secured the first position.

Under the CSR initiative of the company, a cycle was also gifted to a young female athlete, Ms Asha Malviya, from Madhya Pradesh, who was journeying the entire country on her by cycle, which unfortunately broke down in Jharkhand.  She has covered eleven states on her cycle and will continue her journey further to North East India.

Over a hundred technical officers from the Athletic Federation of India and Jharkhand Athletics federation along with volunteers and security personnel, emergency medical team, from CCL left no stone unturned to make the event a success. The entire premise and the route was cleaned by the company after the completion of the event.