It’s time for runners in the City to gear up for the ‘TCS World 10K Bangalore 2014’ , scheduled to be flagged off from Kanteerava Stadium on May 18. The run will have some of the world’s fastest athletes participating.

Sandalwood star Puneeth Rajkumar is the face of the event and he was present at a press conference to announce the run. He said, “I have been participating in the run for the last couple of years. But last year, I remember how focussed the runners were. They never lost sight of their goal.” He added, “I am a regular runner and practise a couple of times a week. This time, I want to improve my timing. It’s a good platform where you see so many runners who are better than you.”

The various categories, in the run, are the ‘Open 10K Run’, which is an open event for serious and amateur runners, fitness enthusiasts and sports lovers above the age of 15 years; the ‘DHL Corporate Challenge’ is a contest within the ‘Open10 K Run’ category which is open only for registered companies and firms; and the ‘Senior Citizens Run’ and ‘Champions With Disability’ event is meant for senior citizens and the physically challenged. These two runs will be flagged off within a few minutes of each other and will cover a distance of four kilometres. Around 1500 senior citizens and 100 wheelchair participants along with their escorts are expected to take part in the event. The ‘Majja Run’ is open to anyone who is above the age of 12 years. The ‘Majja Run’, which is over 5.7 km, encourages participants to raise money and support causes of their choice.

N Chandrasekaran, CEO and MD of Tata Consultancy Services, said, “As an organisation with a young work force, we encourage our associates to live a healthy and active lifestyle and a focus on wellness is an important part of our corporate culture.”

The registrations will be open till April 26 or until the ‘running places’ are filled, whichever is earlier. The official website for the TCS World 10 K Bangalore is www. tcsworld10k.procamrunning.in.

   The entry fee for the participants living in India will be Rs 850 for the ‘Open 10K Run’ and Rs 550 for the ‘Majja Run’. The entry fee for the ‘Senior Citizens Run’ and the ‘Champions with Disability’ event will be Rs 300 each. For international participants, the fee will be US $40 for the ‘World 10K Run’ and the ‘Open 10K Run’, US $20 for the ‘Majja Run’ and US $10 for the ‘Senior Citizens Run’ and ‘Champions With Disability’ event. The entry fee for the corporate teams in the ‘Open 10K Challenge’ is Rs 4,500 per team.