Top national athletes to compete at 8th edition of Vedanta Pink City Half Marathon on December 17

JAIPUR: The eighth edition of Vedanta Pink City Half Marathon will be held here on December 17. Top national runners and eminent personalities from Jaipur city and across the country will be seen participating in race categories of 21-km Half Marathon, 10-km Cool Run and 5-km Dream Run.
The Pink City Half Marathon in its association with Vedanta, a globally diversified natural resources company, will continue to inspire runners to contribute to the cause of ‘Run for Zero Hunger’, like the last edition, with an aim to make a significant difference in the lives of children. With transformation for a sustainable future at the heart of its business operations, Vedanta’s commitment to giving back to society has been a part of its core ethos.

Project Nand Ghar which was conceived by Vedanta’s chairman Anil Agarwal with a dream that no child should go to bed hungry is the flagship initiative by Anil Agarwal Foundation, the social impact arm of Vedanta. It has been at the forefront of transforming the lives of women and children through its network of nearly 6000 modern Anganwadis, operating across 14 states of India.

Vedanta’s ‘Run For Zero Hunger’ is a mass movement to create awareness about eradicating hunger and malnutrition from the country. As part of its commitment, for every kilometre run at VPCHM, a meal will be pledged for a child at Nand Ghar thus contributing to a nourished young India.

Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Non-Executive Director, Vedanta Ltd. and Chairperson, Hindustan Zinc Ltd said, “Marathons are a testament to the power of communities coming together to race for positive change. It is not only a celebration of fitness and sporting excellence but also a way to unite people for a cause close to our hearts ‘Zero Hunger’. For every kilometre run at Vedanta Pink City Marathon, we will contribute a meal for a child through our Nand Ghars.”
Vedanta Pink City Half Marathon 2022 raised 1,00,000 meals whereas 50 lakh meals were raised for children through Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2023 held in October.The T-shirt and finisher’s medal unveiling ceremony was held on Tuesday at a pre-event build up. Manoj Soni from ‘Anybody Can Run’ and an avid runner himself mentioned during the launch event that the marathon is certified by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).He added that “Hectic lifestyle, untimely eating habits are the biggest problems of today, due to which not only our daily routine has been disrupted but our health is also adversely affected. Due to these reasons, today we struggle for immunity, to increase this immunity and for benefits of physical fitness and health we should regularly run.”

The finisher’s medal unveiled at the launch is made from purest and highest-grade zinc from the world’s largest and oldest mines in Rajasthan, produced by Hindustan Zinc Limited, a vertical of Vedanta Group. Anil Agarwal Foundation will also be packing the goodness of multi-millet nutri bars to all the runners at VPCHM. These nutri bars, rich in protein and energy, are distributed to children of Nand Ghar to improve their nutrient intake and growth.

With over 10,000 runners expected to participate in the Vedanta Pink City Half Marathon, the event promises to be a unique blend of cause, culture, and sportsmanship.

Indian Paralympic javelin thrower and Padama Bhushan, Devendra Jhajharia has extended his support to the marathon as the Brand Ambassador. Leading the marathon will be Vedanta’s executive director and Hindustan Zinc CEO, Arun Misra and Dr Steve Moore, Deputy CEO at Cairn Oil & Gas, who will participate in the 21-km Half Marathon and 5-km Dream Run respectively.

The marathon BIB expo will be held on December 15 and 16 at CK Birla Hospital Grounds in Gopalpura while the marathon will be flagged off at 7 am on Sunday from NRI Chauraha, Mahal Road.