Netaji Indoor Stadium was a mini-India for most of Saturday.
Runners from all over the country came to the venue to collect their bibs and running numbers for eastern India’s biggest road race, slated for Sunday.
The eighth edition of Tata Steel Kolkata 25K, partnered by The Telegraph, will kick off with the Open 10K at 5.30am.
The Telegraph gives a low-down for race day, for those headed to Red Road and those not.
People
Sunny Grack is a government employee in Shimla. Rekha Rawat is a homemaker in Noida. Ajay Kumar is a product developer and Narender Singh Rewat a government employee, both in Delhi. They were all at the bib collection centre in the afternoon.
The four are “marathon buddies”, taking part in distance runs across India. “That is how we came to know each other. The bond has grown stronger over the years,” said Rekha Rawat. On Sunday, all four will run in the 25km segment.
Rawat and Kumar ran in TSK last year as well. “The vibe is infectious. The course is scenic. But the air pollution in Kolkata is way too much. It seems there are too many diesel engines,” said Kumar.
Shrinanda Barman Roy, who started a couple of years ago and has taken part in runs in Ooty, Bangalore and Chennai, where she lives, was also at the stadium.
“TSK 25K is going to be my first half-marathon. I am super kicked to do it here,” said Barman Roy, who works with an IT services and consulting multinational. She grew up in Howrah and Kalyani, where her father lives.
Route
The course of the World Athletics Elite Label Road Race takes in some of the city’s majestic sights — Eden Gardens, Victoria Memorial, Park Street, Vidyasagar Setu, James Prinsep Ghat, Fort Williams, Golf course, National Library — with the start and end points on the iconic Red Road.
The runners will move through south Kolkata pockets of Alipore, Kalighat, Golpark and Southern Avenue.
Traffic
- Red Road will be shut for all vehicular traffic from midnight on Saturday to 1pm on Sunday or till the race gets over, said a traffic notification issued by police.
- The following roads will be among those shut for traffic from 4.30am to 1pm or till the race gets over — the west-bound flank of Mayo Road, Casuarina Avenue, Queensway, Kidderpore Road, Lovers Lane, Hospital Road, Dufferin Road, Outram Road, St Georges Gate Road, Strand Road, Kingsway and AJC Bose Road (Exide to Hastings crossing)
- The following roads will be among those shut for traffic from 6am to 1pm or till the race gets over — Rani Rashmoni Avenue, the east-bound flank of Mayo Road, JL Nehru Road, Park Street, Rawdon Street, Theatre Road (from its intersection with AJC Bose Road till the seven-point intersection), the western-flanks of Syed Amir Ali Avenue and Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue, the eastern flanks of Gurusaday Road and Circus Avenue, Southern Avenue, the north-bound flank of the Lake Gardens flyover, Kalighat Road, Hazra Road, Judges Court Road, Belvedere Road, Alipore Road and AJC Bose Road.
- Several more tweaks will be in place on roads in south Kolkata thoroughfares.
Elite runners
The international athletes gearing up for Sunday said they were looking at the race as preparation for the Paris Olympics, slated for next summer.
The World Athletics Elite Label Road Race will be headlined by 10K world record-holder Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw in the women’s category.
Yehualaw tasted her first victory in a World Marathon Major at the 2022 London Marathon, becoming the youngest-ever female winner of the event. “I am ready to give my best in the race and come out victorious. My preparations have been good and I am raring to go. My main target will be to participate at the Paris Olympics and doing well in it will be a great achievement for me,” she said at a media interaction on Friday.
Uganda’s Mercyline Chelangat and Kenya’s Betty Chepkemoi Kibet will be Yehualaw’s main challengers in the women’s field.
Two-time world championship silver medallist Kenyan Daniel Simiyu Ebenyo will be the one to watch out for in the men’s category.
Kenyan Benard Biwott and Ethiopian Haymanot Alew will challenge Ebenyo.
Former Asian Marathon Champion Gopi Thonakal will lead the Indian elite field.
Sawan Barwal, who won the bronze medal at the Asian Half Marathon Championship 2023, will be a strong challenger.
The women’s Indian elite field will be led by Ekta Rawat and Reshma Kevate.
Race timings
- Open 10K & Police Cup (10km): 5.30am
- 25K Elite (25km): 6.25 am
- 25K Amateur + Vijay Diwas Trophy: 6.26am
- Champions with Disability and Senior Citizens Run (2.3km): 8.15am
- Ananda Run (4.5km): 8.45am