Calicut Mini Marathon

Calicut Half Marathon is a running and sporting event conducted annually by IIM Kozhikode. First initiated in 2010, the event now takes place annually in the month of February. Over 5000 people participate in the marathon every year. The event consists of timed races of 21 kilometers and 10 kilometers and a non-competitive "Dream Run" of 3 kilometers which is not timed. The total prize money for both Men and Women's category combined for the timed races is INR 4,50,000.

Calicut Mini Marathon
Calicut Half Marathon - 2015 Flag off
Date23 February 2020
LocationKozhikode, Kerala, India
Event typeRoad
Distance21 km, 10 km, 3 km(not timed)
Established2010
Official sitehttp://www.calicutmarathon.in/

Every year the race is associated with a social cause, which it seeks to publicize. The 2019 edition of the marathon also witnessed the debut of the IIM Kozhikode National Excellence Award, with the first edition presented to Paralympic athlete Dr. Deepa Malik, by the director of the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode Prof. Debashis Chatterjee.

Calicut Half Marathon 2020

The 11th edition of the race, Calicut Half Marathon 2020, is set to be organized on 23 February 2020 at Calicut Beach. This theme for this edition is " Pursuit of Happiness: A Healthy Body, A Healthy Mind", focusing on the subject of mental illness which is considered a taboo, but is very important that it be addressed. The registrations for the event opened on 23 November 2019.

History

2010

The inaugural edition was held on 31 January 2010.[1] The theme of the event was Be the change. It was organized by the Social Service Group, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, PT Usha School of Athletics and Calicut Management Association. It aimed to bring forth awareness in them about the various issues plaguing the society and urge them to lead by example, to be the change we wish to see in this world, as Mahatma Gandhi asked of Indians.[2]

2011

This edition of the marathon was for rights of the disabled children. The marathon was co-hosted by Federal Bank.[3] The marathon aimed to induce a change in mindset of the society with regards the way we perceive the differently abled. Students from NIT Calicut, Farooq College, Holy Cross College and KMCT Polytechnic college participated in the marathon.[4]

2012

The 2012 Marathon was held on 26 February 2012.[5] The marathon was organized in association with Thantedam Gender park of Kozhikode, promoted by Sri. M K Muneer, the Minister for Social Welfare and Panchayat, Government of Kerala. The marathon highlighted issues such as dowry, domestic violence, security, health and economic visibility faced by women in Kerala. The mini marathon was flagged off by film director and actor, Revathi.[6] The race day featured 10-km professional run and 3-km non-competitive 'Dream run', featuring celebrities, college students and women showcasing their work on the theme Empowering her future along the mini-marathon route. Young woman achiever Awards were given away at the end of the marathon.[7] A flash-mob and a motor cycle rally were also organised as a part of the marathon.[8]

2013

The 4th edition of the marathon had the theme War on Waste and was held on 24 February 2013. The event started and ended at Calicut beach. The mini marathon comprised a 10 km run conducted separately for men and women and a 3 km dream run which was attended by celebrities, dignitaries and the general public. G Lakshmanan ( Tamil Nadu) of the Indian Army won the first place in the men's category by clocking his win in 28.04 minutes while O P Jaisha (Kerala) of Indian Railways emerged winner in the women's category within 34.21 minutes.[9]

2014
For the spirit of running!

The 5th edition of the marathon was held on 23 February 2014. "Gift a life - Organ donation" was the theme in 2014 which had been selected to increase awareness about organ donation in the city of Kozhikode. The event has been organised in association with the Kerala Network for Organ Sharing (KNOS), a government body under the State Health Department and the MOHAN Foundation. The run was flagged off by Minister for Social Justice M.K. Muneer along with the guests of honour - Kozhikode Member of the Parliament M.K. Raghavan and artist Eby N. Joseph from Kottayam.

2015

The 6th edition of the marathon was held on 1 March 2015. Held under the theme, 'Safety doesn't happen by accident', the sixth edition of the marathon and its promotional events endeavored to create attitude and behavioral change among people to become responsible drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists. Over four thousand people, including international runners, took to the city's streets on Sunday to promote the cause of road safety. The event was flagged off by Mayor Prof. A K Premajam at the Kozhikode Beach. Benjamin Kiprop from Kenya won the first place in the men's category of the 10 km race by clocking a time of 28 minutes and 53 seconds. Local runner Binsy Am was the winner in the women's category by finishing off in 40 minutes and 37 seconds.

2016

The seventh edition of Calicut mini Marathon 2016 was held on 28 February 2016 supporting the cause of 'Compassionate Kozhikode'. With the aim of promoting the cause, we conducted various promotional events like Bike rally, Sand Sculpture at Calicut Beach, Flash Mobs, Mananchira clean-up drive which enabled us to spread the message to a greater audience. The bike rally, organized by the students of IIM Kozhikode in association with Royal Enfield, formed part of a series of promotional events leading up to Calicut mini Marathon 2016. The race day witnessed around 5000 runners from across the world participating in the event.

2017

The eighth edition (2017) was a massive success with over 5,000 registrations representing various cities, age groups and strata of the society. The marathon was a means to raise awareness about a healthy lifestyle. The race featured two categories, a 10 km mini-marathon which is a competitive race and a 3 km "Dream Run", a non‐competitive run featuring people from all walks of life.

2018

On its 21st anniversary, IIM Kozhikode launched the ninth edition of Peekay Steel Calicut Half-Marathon. IIM Kozhikode organized the Calicut Half-Marathon 2018 on 25 February 2018. The event launch ceremony was held on 17 January 2018 (at Calicut Press Club) and was inaugurated by the deputy mayor – Ms Meera Darshak. The theme for the Marathon is ‘Eco-Friendly Kozhikode’. The race featured three categories, a 21 km half-marathon, a 10 km mini-marathon and a 3 km "Dream Run", a non‐competitive run featuring people from all walks of life.

2019

The tenth edition of the Calicut Half Marathon was held on 24 February 2019 in the Calicut Beach area. The theme for the 2019 half marathon was 'UNITED KERALA: UPHOLDING THE LEGACY’ aimed at celebrating the spirit of unity shown during the past and bringing people together to help create a better tomorrow. The different categories combined saw a participation of more than 5000 runners.[10]

The Director of IIM Kozhikode, Prof. Debashis Chatterjee awarded the first edition of the IIMK National Excellence Award on behalf of the IIM Kozhikode community to Dr. Deepa Mailk (Padma Shri, Arjuna Awardee). According to Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, "IIMK prides itself in empowering women and wishes to highlight the importance of women in all spheres of life. Dr. Deepa Malik is the personification of focus and determination. We hope that this event inspires all the runners taking part in the Marathon, encourages them to pursue their dreams despite all odds and stand united in their endeavours. This is inspired by the theme of the marathon, ‘United Kerala’.[11]

References
  1. "half-marathon". The Hindu. 30 January 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  2. IIM, Kozhikode. "Birth of Calicut Marathon 2010". Rainmedia. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  3. "IIM Kozhikode to launch 2nd edition of Calicut mini marathon". CoolAvenues. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  4. IIM, Kozhikode. "Calicut Mini Marathon 2011". RainMedia. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  5. "Soji,Thara win Calicut marathon". Times of India. 27 February 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  6. Aboobacker, Anula (27 February 2012). "Actress Revathi flags off Calicut Mimi Marathon". Times of India. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  7. "IIM to host a contest for young women achievers". Minglebox. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  8. IndiaInfoOnline. "IIM to organize 3rd edition of Calicut Mini Marathon". Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  9. "Hundreds run in Calicut mini-marathon". Times of India. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  10. Reporter, Staff (4 January 2019). "Calicut Half Marathon on February 24". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  11. "Thousands turn up for Calicut Half Marathon organised by IIM-K - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
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