Chennaiites gear up for second edition of Wipro Chennai Marathon

by EVENTFAQS Bureau | Marketing | July 9, 2013 | News

The main objective behind organizing this event was to inspire first-time runners to make healthy exercise an integral part of their lives. The 1st edition of the marathon was also held in December last year and saw participation from over 5000 participants. This year, the organizers are expecting participation from over 10000 people. The event is expected to see both national and international participants; both trained and first-time runners.

Speaking about the association with the event, Rahul Kadavakolu, Head of Global Field Marketing and Branding, Wipro Ltd., said: "Wipro believes that sports are a great way to engage with the local communities, some of which include our customers, partners, employees and their families. Marathons help in building a spirit of sportsmanship and competitiveness, and encourage individuals to bring out the best in them."

He further added: "Marathons, reflect the ethos of the company in a unique way or what we call ‘The Spirit of Wipro'; which is respect for the individual, unyielding integrity and customer centricity. Sport has always had the ability to transcend language and cultural barriers. Wipro also organizes its own global run called The Spirit of Wipro Run, which is in its 8th year now. Associating Wipro with such events will help bring about a stronger connect between the Wipro brand and the values we stand for in the local communities that we work in."

Runners will be given timing chips to record their timing, and the finishers will be given medals. A pre-event expo will be held, involving sponsors and sports goods manufacturers for runners and public to experience the marathon atmosphere. The organizers will also release a magazine with articles on running and details about the event. Three winners will be declared in each category of the race, separately among women and men.

From the runners' point of view, the 6-hour event is posed to be quite a challenge. Although the flat elevation profile and low altitude in Chennai are great running conditions, the heat and humidity will have to be tackled by the runners. Commenting on the expected event challenges, K. Hariharan, Business Development Director, Tango Brand Engagement Services, said: "Our challenge is creating an event which is one of the best in terms of runner experience and to be rated amongst the top 3 marathons of the country. Charting out a route that will be a pleasant running experience for runners and also touching upon some landmarks of Chennai without inconveniencing the city is the other challenge. The third challenge is to involve the community of Chennai at large and thereby making it a marquee event that will be owned by the city."

Speaking about the future plans for the event, Krishnakumar Rangachari, President, Chennai Runners, said: "Our primary objective at this stage is to host a world-class, premier marathon event. In the future years, we hope to seek International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) certifications for our marathon. It has been a privilege to have Wipro Technologies Ltd. as our title sponsor, and we look forward to having them as our partner in the coming years. Tango brings considerable experience in management of large scale events to the table and will be a key partner in our efforts to bring a world class marathon event to Chennai."

Wipro is the title sponsor for this event, with Apollo Hospitals as the wellness partner and United Way as the charity partner. Registrations for the marathon are now open. Interested runners can register themselves in one of three categories - 10 kms run, half marathon or full marathon. Online registrations can be done at www.thewiprochennaimarathon.com.