Arjun Pradhan of Indian Army wins Tawang marathon

A total of 2,343 athletes wholeheartedly participated in the marathon in the 42 km, 21 km, 10 km, and 5 km categories

By Ripunjoy Das

Arjun Pradhan of the India Army has set an International record of 2 hours and 49 minutes by winning the Tawang Marathon held at 10,000 feet, in the male category, while Priyanka Kanwar, an Army wife, emerged as the woman’s champion with timings of 5 hours and 30 minutes.

In the 21 km run in male and female categories – Prem Kumar and Aarti emerged as the winners, and Rajshree won the 10 km run in two categories.

The shortest version of the run, 5 km, was won by Ankul and Tenzin.

The Tawang Marathon, which is the first ever high-altitude marathon conducted at 10,000 feet in the North-East and arguably the most challenging one in the nation, was flagged off today by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju from the High Altitude Stadium in Tawang district.

Jointly organized by the Indian Army and the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, the event aims to place Tawang on the International Marathon map and showcase the spirit of unity and shared commitment towards the promotion of sports and a healthy lifestyle.

The event, which is a new dawn in the sports field for the state of Arunachal Pradesh, was attended by many enthusiastic people.

A total of 2,343 athletes wholeheartedly participated in the marathon in the 42 km, 21 km, 10 km, and 5 km categories.

The only disappointing part of the event was that Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda, who was supposed to be part of the event today, couldn’t make it because of bad weather conditions.

However, the actor did enjoy a picturesque drive to Tawang.

Taking to X, the actor wrote, “I was really looking forward to meeting the participants of the marathon and witnessing the tug of war, but unfortunately, due to a weather snag, the chopper couldn’t take off. I guess I was destined to drive to Tawang and see more of the beautiful Northeast. My congratulations to all the winners and to the Hon’ble CM.”

The actor is slated to visit India’s first village, Mago, bordering Tibet and China, and will interact with the local villagers on Monday.

He will also meet the Armed Forces stationed at the border village.

Copy edited by- Haynashree Narjary

Also Read: Arunachal: Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda to attend Tawang Marathon, National Tug of War Championship on Oct 1

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