Kolkata Marathon
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| Kolkata Marathon | |
|---|---|
 2017 logo of Kolkata Marathon | |
| Date | Early February |
| Location | Kolkata, India |
| Distance | Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10K |
| Primary sponsor | AgeasFederal Life Insurance |
| Established | 2008 |
| Course records | Men: 2:19:30 Satya Prakash (2014)Women: 3:16:56 Anjali Saraogi (2019) |
| Official site | Kolkata Marathon |
| Participants | ≈6,000 participants (2022) 841 (2019) |
The Kolkata Marathon (officially IDBI Federal Life Insurance Kolkata Full Marathon) is a marathon held annually in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was launched in 2008. The marathon is the largest in Eastern India and the only full marathon held in Kolkata.[1][2][3][4]
"The moment they approached me for the event, I said, yes. Kolkata has a special place in my heart as I have spent many formative years of my life here. To see the event grow from the first edition to the ninth edition, in terms of participation and even awareness in the city has been an interesting journey."
The marathon is authorised by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). For 2016 edition IDBI Federal Life Insurance will be the title sponsors of the marathon. The marathon is managed by the HighLife Management.[6] The 2016 marathon will also be an official qualifier round for the marathon events in the Rio Olympics 2016.[5]
IDBI Federal Life Insurance is the title sponsor for 2017 edition of the race.[7] Indian cricket player Sachin Tendulkar is the Brand Ambassador for the 2017 marathon.
Participants
The race has five categories of competition. Along with the traditional full and half marathon distances, there is also a 10 km open run, 10 km corporate run and 5 km fun run for children. In the first edition of the marathon, nearly 6,000 runners participated; the number of runners increased to 15,000 in 2015.[5] Only Indian athletes are eligible for the prize money; according to organisers, the aims of the marathon are to provide a platform for Indian competitors and to promote athletics at the grass-root level in India.[1][6] In 2015, the prize money for the winner of the full marathon was ₹3.2 lakh (US$3,800), while 2nd and 3rd finishers were awarded ₹1.6 lakh (US$1,900) and ₹0.8 lakh (US$950) respectively.[8]
