Marathoners run for women’s safety in Doon

Ditching the comfort of their cozy beds on Sunday morning, over 20,000 runners from 26 states came together to participate in the half-marathon organised
by Doon Police to support the cause of women and road safety.The marathon, which was flagged off by DGP Anil Kumar Raturi, was divided in to two categories of 21km and 7km. The 21km marathon, which started from Police lines, crossed Race Course, EC Road, Rajpur Road, Canal Road and Kath Bangla before returning to Police Lines.The 7km run started from Race Course, crossed the EC Road and Survey Chowk and returned to Police Lines.
While Suresh Kumar from Dehradun won the 21km half-marathon in men's category, Lucknow's Monika Chaudhary stood first in the women's category. Pankaj from Mussoorie won the 7km mini-marathon and in the women's category, Kashipur's Neha Thapliyal bagged the first position. All the winners were felicitated by the CM Trivendra Singh Rawat.
The marathon was divided into two categories of 7km and 21km (BCCL/Taresh Dutta)
While addressing the marathon, CM Trivendra Singh Rawat said, "I congratulate the police department for a successful marathon and also to every participant who ran for such important causes.Crimes against women have become a major problem in today's time and it is very important for all of us to come together and fight against it."
'SUCH EVENTS HELP IN SPREADING AWARENESS ABOUT IMPORTANT ISSUES'
Participants crossing Canal Road (BCCL/Taresh Dutta)
Dhyan Singh, 70, said, "I have always enjoyed running. It keeps you fit and increases your stamina. At this age, one cannot do gymming, so running is the best option. Running makes me forget my age and at such events,when I run with so many youngsters around, I feel young and fresh." He added, "This marathon was special for me as women safety is a cause very close to my heart. I have two daughters and I’m concerned about their safety. I always look forward to participate in such events as along with all the fun, it helps in spreading awareness about important issues like health, road safety, women safety
and more."
'MARATHONS ARE A GOOD PLATFORM TO HIGHLIGHT SOCIAL ISSUES'
GET SET GO! (BCCL/Taresh Dutta)
Shivani, a BTech student, who had come from Lucknow, said, "Marathons are a good platform to highlight social issues. Crimes against women are on the rise and so are road accidents.Things will not change by organizing a marathon but at least people will become aware of these issues.A lot of youngsters participated in this marathon and this shows that such events are the best way to engage young people in social causes."
'DOON'S WEATHER IS PLEASANT AND MAKES RUNNING EASY'
Dhol beats kept the spirit going at the marathon (BCCL/Taresh Dutta)
Differently-abled Guddu from Delhi, 28, participated in the marathon using a skateboard. He said, "From the past three years, I have started participating in marathons. The experience of running in Doon has been fantastic. Running in Doon has been a different experience altogether. The weather is so pleasant that it makes running quite easy as compared to Delhi."