Chandigarh marathon sees 113-year-old runner

CHANDIGARH: Over 4,700 runners from different parts of the world today took part in the second edition of the Chandigarh marathon. A fit 113-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh also participated, an official said. The run was divided into three parts full marathon (42.197 km), half-marathon (21.095 km) and dream run (five km). Ace golfer Jeev Milkha Singh, boxer Vijender Singh and Olympics gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra flagged off the races from the Rock Garden, a prominent tourist destination of Chandigarh. According to the official, around 700 runners from various countries participated in full and half-marathons, whereas over 4,000 ran in the dream race.
The full marathon was won by Kenyan runner James Mutua, with a timing of 2:17:22. He bagged cash award of Rs.100,000. Ethiopian runner Patrick Kamau was second with a difference of over two minutes (2:19:57). Total of Rs.600,000 was distributed among 18 winners in various categories. An army officer Elam Singh, a resident of Uttrarakhand, won the half-marathon. Seeing a whopping response in the last year's marathon, we decided to make this an annual event, Ram Niwas, Chandigarh's home-cum-tourism secretary, told reporters. The first edition of Chandigarh marathon was held in February last year.
We also had a 113-year-old runner. He is a living inspiration for all of us. Dharam Pal had specially come from Meerut to participate in the marathon. I want to tell everyone to run for good health. Running is the best exercise and I would continue taking part in such tournaments in future also, he said.