The 5th edition of the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Spice Coast Marathon witnessed the participation of over 5300 avid runners on Sunday, November 11th. Starting from the panoramic Willingdon Island area, the runners took to the streets of Kochi to participate in the 5th edition of the marathon. In order to encourage the runners and mark the beginning of India’s most picturesque marathon, Lt. Commander Ashwanth, Naval NCC volunteer-in-charge, Soumini Jain, Hon. Mayor, Kochi Municipal Corporation, Assistant Commissioner of Police Vijayan P, along with Karthik Raman, Chief Marketing Officer, IDBI Federal Life Insurance were present to flag off the respective races.

EP Parameshwaran, a 102-years-old runner who participated with his grandson successfully completed the 8 k Fun Run for the second time. The Flying Feet Club of Kochi emerged as the group with the highest number of runners, participating across different categories. Spreading the message of focusing on physical fitness from a young age were close to 200 students from Global Public School and Choice School who ran along with their teachers and parents. Sajesh Krishnan, the first blade runner from Kerala was successful in finishing the half marathon in his very first attempt. Along with amateur and professional runners, the marathon observed the participation of more than 150 personnel from the Kerala police as well as defense forces.

The Full Marathon in the men’s category was won easily by Mahesh P S who finished the race with a timing of 03:18:45 followed by Harikumar K L who completed the race with 03:22:06 and Vigneshwaran J with 03:27:35. In the women’s category, Aradhana Reddy crossed the finish line with a timing of 03:41:55, whereas Shilpi Sahu and Juby George completed the race in 03:45:44 and 03:58:52 respectively.

The Half Marathon saw Sanjay Agarwal emerging as the winner in the Men’s category with a timing of 01:18:33, while Arun Kumar and Thirupathi G achieved podium finishes with timings of 01:24:33 and 01:26:48 respectively. In the women’s category, Merina Mathew won the title by finishing the race in 01:51:07 while Alicia Weigert crossed the finish line in second position with a timing of 01:56:12 followed by Kavita Nair with 02:00:47.

Karthik Raman, CMO, IDBI Federal Life Insurance, said “The IDBI Federal Life Insurance Spice Coast Marathon 2018 is a true indication of the resilience and spirit of the people of Kerala who overcame challenges and continued to #KeepMoving. With participation from runners across age-groups and diverse backgrounds, we were thrilled with the response this year and hope to see the marathon grow to even further heights in the years ahead.”

Ramesh Kartha, Race Director and President – Soles of Cochin said, “Runners participate in the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Spice Coast Marathon to experience its unique combination of natural beauty and heritage. Despite the recent difficulties experienced by the state, we were overwhelmed by the tremendous response from runners across Kerala who participated in large numbers this year. As the marathon grows in strength year-on-year, we are glad to see that it highlights the culture of running which is gaining dominance in the state, rather than being just a celebration.”

The list of winners across categories is as given below:

Male – Full Marathon (42.1Km): 1stPosition Mahesh P S (03:18:45), 2nd position Harikumar K L (03:22:06), 3rd position Vigneshwaran J 03:27:35

Women – Full Marathon (42.1Km): 1stPosition Aradhana Reddy (03:41:55), 2nd position Shilpi Sahu (03:45:44), 3rd position Juby George 03:58:52

Male – Half Marathon (21.1km): 1st position Sanjay Agarwal (01:18:33), 2nd position Arun Kumar (01:24:33), 3rd position Thirupathi G 01:26:48

Women – Half Marathon (21.1km): 1st position Merina Mathew (01:51:07), 2nd position Alicia Weigert (01:56:12), 3rdposition Kavita Nair (02:00:47)