Guests posing with winners of the national-level marathon in front of Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi on Sunday. | Photo Credit: P.K. BADIGER It was a cheerful morning on Sunday for residents of Belagavi and nearby areas who got up early to take part in a run.A large number of people, young and old, men and women participated in the national-level marathon.This was organised as part of the Sashakta Karnataka initiative.As a part of this initiative, the marathon was flagged off on the premises of the Suvarna Soudha.Belagavi is one of the four venues for the event, as announced in the State Budget of 2026.Guests flagged off the event and Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan expressed joy at the turnout.
He said that the objective is to build an empowered Karnataka through the promotion of health and harmony.“By participating in the run, the participants have conveyed a positive message to society. They have crossed the barriers of caste, religion, lineage or any other form of discrimination.
This is an exemplary initiative,” he said.Principal Secretary of the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports Naveenraj Raj Singh reiterated that such events foster unity and integrity in society, apart from raising awareness about health and fitness.He said that in the next phase, the event will be held in Hampi, while a Fort Run will be organised in Chitradurga and a Coastal Run in Gokarna.The Belagavi event was organized by the district administration, the Zilla Panchayat, the National Service Scheme (NSS) and the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, in collaboration with JJ Active (Bengaluru).The event featured a 5 km, 10 km and 21 km (half-marathon) categories.The route began at the Suvarna Soudha, passed by the city’s Fort Lake (near the Belagavi Fort) and concluded back in front of the Suvarna Soudha.The winners in various categories are Siddu Devappanavar, Omkar Patil, Raghunath Talawar, Arun Tippannavar, Dasharath K. Nadugeri, Vinayak Dodamani, Divya Herekar, Shravani U.
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