Sports
Kantipur Hero Half Marathon on February 18
Kantipur Publications Pvt Ltd is all geared up to host the Kantipur Hero Half Marathon set for February 18.Kantipur Publications Pvt Ltd is all geared up to host the Kantipur Hero Half Marathon set for February 18.
The half marathon is organised to mark the anniversary of the Publications and has been one of the premier events in Nepali marathon. The one-day event features men’s and women’s half marathon, corporate/media and wheelchair races.
For the first time in the 21km half marathon, the winners will ride a Hero Dash Scooter apart from the regular cash purse of Rs 50,000 in both the categories. The first and second runners-up will get Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively. Along with a Leagoo mobile.
Cash prizes are also on offer for those runners who round up inside the top six. The top three winners in the wheel chair 3km race will get Rs 20,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000, while the winners in the corporate/media 5km race will get a return ticket to Dubai or Singapore.
Kantipur Publications Assistant General Manager Mahesh Swar said the event gets even bigger this time. “This has been one of the marquee events in Nepali athletics in a short span of time. A big number has been involved in this event and we are hopeful that the number increases this time around as well,” said Swar.
For the first time, the race will begin from the Publications’ new office at the Central Business Park in Thapathali and will travel en route to Maitighar, Babarmahal, Bijuli Bazaar, New Baneshwor, Tinkune, Koteshwor, Jadibuti, Gatthaghar, Sano Thimi, Sallaghari, Katunje before heading back the same route.
The change of route has forced the organisers to scrap the award set for runners setting up a new course record. “If the runners come up with a new national record in half marathon, the organisers will definitely reward them,” said the event’s technical director and chief athletics coach Sushil Narshing Rana during a press conference on Tuesday.
Gopi Chandra Parki of Nepal Armed Police Force Club and Reshu Basnet of Tribhuvan Army Club are the defending champions.