Digital transformation solutions company UST hosted its first ever ‘UST Trivandrum Marathon’ on Sunday with more than 5,000 runners taking part. Organised in collaboration with NEB Sports, the event also marked the 25th anniversary of UST’s founding. The UST Trivandrum Marathon will be held annually from now on, a company spokesman announced here.
More than 500 participants in the inaugural event were UST employees, while the remaining were drawn from members of the public registering under different categories. The marathon also focused on supporting charitable causes and making a positive impact on the lives of those in need, the spokesman said. The winners across race categories won a total cash prize of ₹22 lakh.
Varied distances
The event included a full marathon and a half marathon for seasoned runners; a 10-km run for speedsters and newbies; a five-km fun run; and a three-km family run for recreational runners and walkers. Starting from the UST campus, marathoners traversed almost all prominent places in the city and returned to the campus. An AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races)-certified measurer gauged the course, ensuring accurate race distances across all categories.
Olympian Vimal Kumar attends
Krishna Sudheendra, Chief Executive Officer, UST, flagged off the event in the presence of Manu Gopinath and Alexander Varghese, Chief Operating Officers; Shilpa Menon, Trivandrum Centre Head; and Sheffi Anwar, General Manager-Business Operations. Among those present were Vimal Kumar (Olympian, Dronacharya awardee and Director of Prakash Padukone Academy); Air Marshall Sinha (Indian Air Force); Sparjan Kumar, Commissioner of Police; Shyam Sundar, IG of police; Sanjeev Nair, CEO, Technopark; and David Eggleston, Deputy Counsel General, Australia.
Alexander Varghese, Chief Operating Officer, UST, said participation in the inaugural event has been exceptionally encouraging, as runners from UST and the public enthusiastically embraced the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
Nagaraj Adiga, Race Director, NEB Sports, said it worked closely with UST to ensure participants have a positive experience.