Indian Navy’s Ankit Kumar Yadav and Bengaluru’s Deepika Prakash, a banker by profession, won in the male and female categories, respectively, in the prestigious 21-km open event at the Rotary Rain Run 2024, whose 10th tenth edition was held in North Goa on Sunday.
Prem Thakur and Ryohei Takahashi (Japan) were the first and second runners-up in the men’s 21 km timed run category, while Galina Kuzmina (Russia) and Hansine Benoit (France) were first and second runners-up, respectively, in the women’s event in the same category.
Hari Velip (Dharbandora) and Ayan Soares (Margao) topped the male and female categories, respectively, in the 10-km 18-44 years category.
Over 2000 athletes, both professional and amateur, participated in the Rotary Rain Run, annually organised in Goa by the Rotary Club of Porvorim, which was flagged off from the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) Athletics Stadium in Bambolim, by Col. Rajeev Raghavan, Deputy Commandant, 2 STC.
In the 21km timed run, winner Ankit Kumar Yadav clocked a timing of one hour, 20 minutes, 31 seconds in the men’s category, and Deepika Prakash emerged victorious in the women’s category, clocking one hour, 43 minutes, five seconds.
In the 10 km timed run category, Hari Velip won the run in the men’s category by clocking a timing of 38 minutes, 57 seconds and Ayan Soares won in the women’s category, with a timing of 52 minutes, 11 seconds.
Other non-timed runs at the event included a five km dream walk, two km fun walk and the newly introduced two km Seniority Walk. Around 25 para-athletes from Goa and Karnataka also participated in the two km fun walk. Hundreds of amateur runners, which included scores of children, participated in the event’s non-timed categories.
36-year-old Deepika Prakash, who bagged the win in the women’s 21 km timed run category, said: “This is my first time participating in the Rotary Rain Run. Although I am a regular runner and participate in full marathons and ultra runs, I hadn’t expected to win in this category. The humidity, too, didn’t deter me from enjoying the beauty of the route!”
Third-time Rotary Rain Run participant Hari Velip, a 26-year-old from Dharbandora, Goa, who won the men’s 10 km timed run category, stated: “I was thrilled when I won this race. This is the third edition of the Rotary Rain Run I have participated in, and winning in this category on the monumental 10th edition is a feather in my cap.”
In order to re-create a monsoon-like vibe, the runners passed through two strategically placed rain showers – one at All India Radio and another at Manipal Hospital – along the scenic, sea-fronted route from SAG Athletics Stadium to Miramar Circle and back .
The run was supported by volunteers from the Indian Army and the Indian Navy. The Army was instrumental in logistics, offering volunteers and managing the setup of crucial facilities including hydration points, a breakfast counter and a medical room. The Indian Navy also provided assistance to the runners throughout the event.
The warm-up routine for the 10 km and 21 km runs consisted of a yoga session, while participants in two km and five km runs engaged in a lively zumba session to warm them up before the run. Lavina Soares, a renowned Goan singer, also performed live ahead of the event in order to entertain the runners and spectators.
“The dedication of every participant has been very inspiring. The support from the Indian Navy and Indian Army, whose personnel served as volunteers during the race, has been invaluable. The revenue generated by the Run is being donated towards the Prakash Cancer Aid Project, which supports free cancer detection services for women as well as promotes women’s health and education,” said Avinash Singh Parmar- chairman, Rotary Rain Run, Goa.
Rotary Rain Run is a member of the Association of International Marathon and Distance Races (AIMS), which collaborates with World Athletics to ensure that the road races are measured accurately and meet global standards.
Additionally, each participant in the Rotary Rain Run 2024 was given a fruit-bearing sapling as part of Dakoju’s Dhanyawad initiative. This initiative, aimed at countering the effects of global warming, is led by Rotarian Ravishankar Dakoju from Bengaluru, who pledges to plant 100,000 trees in Goa and Sindhudurg, an adjoining district in neighbouring Maharashtra.
