Jammu, Mar 27 (PTI) Around 4,000 runners from across India and abroad are set to participate in Jammu’s first-ever international marathon scheduled for Sunday, marking a significant milestone in the region’s sporting calendar, an official said.
The information was given at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, here to finalise arrangements for the marathon being organised by the Tourism Department, an official spokesperson said.
He directed all departments to thoroughly review their preparations to eliminate any possible gaps on the day of the event.
Taking stock of departmental readiness, Dulloo sought detailed inputs from each Administrative Secretary regarding their respective roles.
He also underscored the necessity of constituting a permanent Steering Committee under the chairmanship of the Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism.
The committee will include the Commissioner Secretary, Youth Services & Sports; Divisional Commissioners; IGP Traffic; Directors of Tourism, along with Chewang Motup, acknowledging his pivotal role in conceptualising and organising these international events here.
The committee will be tasked with scheduling and promoting these events annually to facilitate greater participation from national and international runners.
The chief secretary further emphasised announcing event dates well in advance to enable international participants to plan their travel.
He called for popularising such events to maximise participation and position Jammu & Kashmir as a premier destination for marathon tourism.
He reviewed key aspects, including route sanitisation, traffic management, medical preparedness, and deployment of volunteers to ensure smooth conduct of the event.
Dulloo directed that routes for different race categories should not overlap and must be fit and safe for runners.
Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Ashish Chandra Verma, briefed the meeting on preparations and said around 4,000 runners are expected to participate, with on-spot registrations also being facilitated.
Director Tourism, Jammu, Vikas Gupta said so far 3,663 participants, including 91 international runners, have already registered for the event.
The marathon will be held on March 29, 2026, starting at sunrise from the MA Stadium. The event will feature three race categories, including Half Marathon (21 km), 10 km Fitness Run, and 5 km Fun Run.
A total prize pool of Rs 1.33 Crore will be distributed among the winners. PTI TAS HIG HIG
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