11th edition of Bengaluru Midnight Marathon attracts thousands

Undeterred by the winter chill, runners in large numbers took part in the 11th edition of the Bengaluru Midnight Marathon held last night.

The annual fundraiser event, conducted by Rotary Bangalore IT Corridor, was held at ITPO in Whitefield.

This year, over 15,000 people from across the city and even other states took part in the many running events organised as a part of the Marathon.

The evening began with the 'HPCL Community relay' at 5pm. It had teams of five members running relays of one kilometre. This was followed by the 'Prestige 5K IT City Fun Run' at 7.30 pm.

The atmosphere was lively with people cheering. The crowd was kept energised with live performances by several bands such as Pineapple Express, Raqeeb, Rock Paper Scissors, and Argenil.

One of the main events of the night was the 'Akamai Open 10K run'.   Fitness ambassadors of the city actively participated in the run.

The highlights of the night were the Full Marathon which was flagged off at 12 midnight and the half-marathon which began at 12.15 am. The results of these races will be announced only in the early hours of Sunday.

Rotary Bangalore IT Corridor also piloted their motorcycle 'First-Responder' service at the marathon. The initiative will be tried out in the Outer Ring Road area for 90 days after which it will be scaled up with help from other Rotary clubs and hospitals.

Funds raised from the marathon will be used to support four of the club's flagship programmes which include improving government schools, developing a village and providing potable water.