#MainBhiMilkha: Celebrating Milkha Singh with a run in Gurgaon

Saturday was sprinting legend Milkha Singh's 92nd birth anniversary. The champion athlete, who passed away earlier this year, had been an inspiration to several generations of Indian runners. So, it was fitting that Gurgaon's first night run in months was held to commemorate Milkha's birthday. The

Flying Sikh Midnight Run

was flagged off at midnight – November 20 – by

Manbir Singh

,

DCP Manesar

. The four-hour-long run saw hundreds of athletes and running enthusiasts participate across the 5K, 10K, 21K and 36K distance categories.

The run – organised by

Enviro

in conjunction with

Dhaavak

– began from Vatika Town Square in Sector 82 and concluded just before sunrise in

New Gurugram

. "We believe that such small efforts are important to thank the legendary athlete, whose life has been a guiding light for generations, and continue to motivate all of us to do more for the country, especially in the field of sports," said Lt Col Mehta, VP Operations (Residential), Enviro. The run was promoted with the tagline #MainBhiMilkha, urging the runners to imbibe the same spirit and passion for running as the great late Milkha Singh.

Running events – even late-night ones – had been common in the

Millennium City

before the pandemic. As they now restart, the running community says they have been eagerly awaiting their return. "It's good to have these events back finally. The absence of running events in the city felt like such a void. Plus, this one is in the memory of a man who inspired all of us, which makes it extra special," one of the participants told us.