24-hour Stadium Run: Four Indian runners eye place in 2019

by Shrutee K/DNS

IAU 24- Hour World Ultra Marathon Championship this weekend

Mumbai, June 14, 2019: Four of India’s top runners will aim to make history over the weekend here as they attempt to qualify for the 2019 IAU 24-Hour World Ultra Marathon Championship to be held in France in October this year. 

Rajasthan’s Lallu Lal Meena, Odisha’s Pranaya Mohanty and Rajasthan’s Yamini Kothari will attempt this herculean feat during the 24 Hour Stadium Run at the Mumbai University track, starting at 6 pm on Saturday evening and finishing the next day at 6 pm.

Organised by NEB Sports, this gruelling event, which sets the tone for the Athletics Federation of India-approved IDBI Federal Life Insurance Mumbai Half Marathon 2019 in August, has attracted over 1,000 determined participants and 200+ teams who will compete in the Relay Run.

Sikkim’s Shiva Hang Limboo too will aim to make it to the prestigious 24-Hour World Ultra Marathon Championship in the 12-Hour category. Shibani Gharat, Apeksha Shah, Priyanka Bhat and Deviprasad Shetty are among the other popular runners who will be seen in action during the weekend.

“We are delighted to see a manifold jump in the number of participants in this highly popular event,” Karthik Raman, Chief Marketing Officer, IDBI Federal Life Insurance said. “This is the ultimate test of a human being’s spirit and endurance and we hope to see our stars qualifying for the World Ultra Marathon Championship,” he added. 

Nagaraj Adiga, Race Director said, “We are seeing a growing interest in the sport of ultra-running with an increasing number of runners taking part in stadium runs across the country. The stadium runs also help dedicated ultra-runners train and qualify for international meets. At the fourth edition of the 24 Hours Stadium Run in Mumbai this weekend, we are looking to provide the best possible support to the runners, many of whom are aiming to achieve their best-ever mileage.”

The Ultra marathoners, cheered on by fans and friends in a carnival-like atmosphere, will target to cover the maximum distance over the 24 hours to be crowned the winners. The top men clock close to 200 kilometres during this period while the women touch about 170 km. A unique and novel contest, the 24-hour Stadium Run will test the endurance as well as mental and physical abilities of athletes as they embark on this momentous journey.

Much like the famous Le Mans auto race in France, it will require the runners to be on the go for 24 hours with occasional stops. The event has four categories:

24-hr Individual, 12-hr Individual, 12-hr Open Team Relay and the 12-hr Corporate

Team Relay.

The Stadium Run will also see significant woman participation with four of them set to take part in the arduous run. This is the fourth edition of the Stadium Run, done in association with the Athletics Federation of India. 

RUNNERS’ PROFILES

Lallu Lal Meena: A known name in Ultra Running, Lallu Lal Meena won the Hyderabad 12-Hour Stadium Run in 2017. He has represented India at various international events, including the 30th IAU 100km World Championship in Croatia last year and the IAU 24 Hour Asia and Oceania Championship held in Taipei, where the Indian’s men team achieved the third position and LL Meena

clocked 192 kms.

Pranaya Mohanty: Pranaya Mohanty is a runner from Balasore and works as a software professional in Bengaluru. He has achieved success in endurance sports (both running and cycling). He has taken part in Endurance Running (10k, Half Marathons and Full Marathons) in 2017 before getting into Ultra Running in 2018.

Yamini Kothari: An experienced ultra runner, Yamini Kothari has taken part in the NEB 24 hour run in New Delhi and Bengaluru in 2018 and is a constant on the circuit.

Shiva Hang Limboo: After bagging a silver medal in the 2018 24 Hour New Delhi Stadium Run, Shiva Hang Limboo is aiming for gold at the Mumbai edition while also attempting to better his personal record.