Marathon for rare disease awareness on February 25

Bengaluru: The Organization for Rare Diseases India (ORDI) announced on Monday that it will host its annual flagship marathon ‘Racefor7’ across 15 cities on February 25.

Ahead of Rare Disease Day observed on February 29, the seven-km marathon aims to raise mass awareness about over 7,000 rare diseases documented so far. It also aims to create a sense of solidarity among patients and their families by enabling discourse about access to treatment options and resources.

This year’s theme is ‘One Nation, One Day - Together for Rare’. Organisers expect a footfall of 20,000 participants across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Pune, among 15 cities. The Bengaluru marathon will be flagged off by Kannada cinema actor Ramesh Aravind at 7 am from St Joseph’s Indian High School ground, Ashok Nagar. 

“The focus is on enhancing access to therapies under policy guidelines, establishing an ecosystem for long-term care and support, fostering research and development, and ultimately creating a collective moment of ‘I care for Rare,” said Prasanna Kumar Shirol, Co-founder and Executive Director of ORDI.