Bhubaneswar, Mar 2 (PTI) Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd (CIL), on Sunday organised a half marathon, celebrating the 50 years of the miner.

The marathon was kicked off from Kalinga Stadium here.

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Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, Sports Minister Suryanshi Suraj, CIL chairman PM Prasad, MCL CMD Uday Anant Kaole were present on this occasion.

Over 5,600 people from various walks of life, including professional marathon runners, fitness enthusiasts, young and old from all across the country, participated in the run.

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Participants showcased the spirit of unity and determination in the race featuring various categories, including the 21 km half marathon, 10 km run, 5 km and a half km fun run, making it competitive for both seasoned athletes and newcomers, said Pujari.

Olympian and ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal was the ambassador of the event.

“I am surprised to see that such a huge number of people in Bhubaneswar have participated in the marathon. The people of Bhubaneswar are serious about their fitness and all are very active,” Nehwal said.

Lili Das from West Bengal and Prince Kumar from Uttar Pradesh stood as the overall winners of the Half Marathon in female and male categories respectively.

Deputy CM Parida, event ambassador Saina Nehwal along with other dignitaries gave the prize money to the winners in different categories.

A total prize money of Rs 45.34 lakh has been distributed among the winners of the marathon.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)