Aizawl set to host first International Half Marathon on April 26

An International Half Marathon will be held in Mizoram's Aizawl for the first time on April 26, Sports Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar announced.

He said that the coming event will be organised jointly by Mizoram government and Innovations India to promote health, fitness and tourism besides an anti-drug campaign among youths.

Furthermore, he added that the objective of the international event is empowerment of sportspersons and development of Mizoram and Northeast India in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of developing Northeast.

Accredited by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), the proposed half marathon event received the support of several key institutions and agencies, including Sports Authority of India (SAI), NF Railway, Mizoram Athletic Association, and various government departments, public sector units and corporates, he said.

More than a thousand runners from across India as well as abroad are expected to participate in the event and international runners from Kenya and Vietnam have already confirmed their participation, the minister said.

Runners from a number of cities across the country, including Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Indore, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Alwar, Haridwar, Shillong, Dimapur, Lakhimpur, Mirzapur, and Itanagar have registered to participate in the international event, Hmar said.

Runners from Railways and Services are also expected to participate, he said.

According to Hmar, the marathon event will have four categories - 21.1 km (half marathon), 10 km (open race) particularly for women, 5 km (fun race) and 5 km race for juniors.

The Aizawl International Half Marathon (AIHM) would be an annual sports event that would go a long way in nurturing and empowering the youths and sportspersons of the region enabling them to perform at various National and International platforms and bring glory for the country, Hmar said.

It will act as one of the biggest platforms towards development and would surely create a euphoria about Mizoram across the globe, he said.

The winners will be given prizes worth Rs 10 lakh, Hmar added.