Bangalore:
Namma Bangalore is all set to witness an extravagant midnight marathon for the fifth time on Saturday and around 7,000 people including children, corporate personnel and athletes are expected to participate in the event. Over 18 international athletes are already in the City to participate in the Marathon and give stiff competition to the participants. The event is scheduled to start from Karnataka Trade Promotion Organisation at Whitefield.
With the theme 'Run for a Child', the International Midnight Marathon is organised as a fund-raiser for Rotary Bangalore IT Corridor (RBITC) to fund social service projects relating to environment, health, community and vocational training among others.
The city was flooded with a series of events as a run up to the Midnight Marathon. To flag the event list off was the Pet-a-thon, a walkathon for pets and their owners, organised on December 4. The event created an awareness against animal cruelty not just among the 50 enthusiastic pet owners but also among curious onlookers.
On December 5, keeping the traditions of the marathon alive, a "Pasta Party" was organised for the runners and the participants to herald the fifth edition of Bangalore international Midnight Marathon. It is a symbolic event that is a precursor to every marathon conducted in the world - whether it is Barcelona Marathon, London Marathon or any other. "It is said that eating pasta every day is a healthy preparation for the marathon. We pile up energy to burn on the road this weekend," said Ravi Thapa, a regular marathon participant.
Summing up the experience of a marathon is runner Bhaskar Sharma. He said, "Running a marathon is an experience that is difficult to put into words. Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."
On-spot registrations at the race venue will close two hours before the race start time. IT City Fun Run is scheduled to begin at 8 pm, the 10 K Run at 10 pm, the Community Relay at 7 pm on Saturday, the full and marathons at 12 midnight, while Corporate and Women Relays will begin at 12.30 am on Sunday.
Apart from the races, the BIMM 2011 will have live performances by musicians, fire-eaters, dancers and bands to entertain the participants.
The new 10K run event has been added on demand. The BIMM races this year is sponsored by GE while the 5 km IT City run is sponsored by Adecco.