Guwahati: A Kenyan won the third edition of Numaligarh Marathon which drew a good response from participants from the country as well as from abroad.

The Numaligarh Marathon, the flagship sporting event of Numaligarh Refinery Limited, was conceived to promote the mantra of "Run to keep fit". A total of 3,700 participants from the neighbourhood of the refinery, NRL employees and their families, and sports enthusiasts participated, besides international runners from Kenya and Nepal.

The first prize went to James Ndii Nyawira of Kenya who ran 21.1km in 1:13:26 while the second prize went to Tirtha Pun of Shillong who clocked 1:15:40.

In the women's category, the first prize went to Kenyan Cecilih Wangui Warutumo who clocked 1:39:13 for running 21.1km.

The competition was held in three categories - 21.1km (half marathon), 10km (endurance run) and 5km (dream run) amongst men and women.

NRL managing director S.K. Barua said he was overwhelmed by the huge turnout for the event and announced that the next edition will have a full marathon of 42km.

NRL director technical Bhaskar Phukan said the marathon which has been taking place for the last three years has been able to foster and enhance a sense of goodwill and camaraderie in the neighbourhood.

Well known sports personalities like Arjuna awardee and Asian Games gold medallist Bhogeswar Barua and world arm wrestling champion Joby Mathews graced the event and exhorted the importance of sports and physical fitness.

Bhogeswar Baruah shared the struggles that he had to undergo and underscored the importance of dedication and perseverance that helped him surmount challenges.

Mathews from Kochi in Kerala encouraged the young participants with motivational words based on his life experiences.

"Despite being 60 per cent orthopaedically challenged by birth, I have been able to achieve much in life and therefore am of the firm belief that no challenge can cow you down if you have the will and dedication to achieve," he said.

Two Kenyan sportspersons emerged champions in both the Men’s and Women’s categories in the 3rd edition of the 21.1 km Numaligarh Marathon 2018 held at the Numaligarh Township on Sunday.

In Men’s 21.1 km run, the 1st prize went to James Ndii Nyawira of Kenya while the second prize was won by Tirtha Pun from Shillong in Meghalaya while in Women’s 21.1 km, the 1st prize went to Cecilih Wangui Warutumo of Kenya.

The Numaligarh Marathon 2018 is the flagship sporting event organized by the Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL).

Conceived to promote the mantra of ‘Run to Keep fit’, the Marathon drew overwhelming response with 3700 participants joining the event from the neighbourhood of the Refinery, NRL employees and their families, sports enthusiasts from across the State and the country. International runners from Kenya and Nepal also participated in the marathon.

The competition was held in three categories – 21.1 km (Half Marathon), 10 km (Endurance Run) and 5 km (Dream Run) for both men and women.

The runs for the different categories were flagged off by Managing Director, NRL, SK Barua from the Community Centre, NRL Township; Sneh Lata Kumar, Independent Director, NRL and BJ Phukan, Director (Technical), NRL for the three categories respectively.

In Men’s 10 km run, the 1st prize went to Stilin Jyrwa of Meghalaya while in Women’s 10 km run, the 1st prize went to Dateibankynmaw Marwein of Shillong.

In Men’s 5 km run, the 1st prize went to Joymongal Urang of Golaghat in Assam while in Women’s 5 km run, the 1st prize went to Sima Begum of Golaghat.

The prizes were distributed at the concluding function held at the playground of DPS Numaligarh.

Speaking on the occasion, MD, NRL, SK Barua shared that he was overwhelmed by the huge turnout for the event and announced that the next edition of the Numaligarh Marathon will have a full Marathon of 42 km.

NRL Director (Technical) Bhaskar Phukan thanked the participants for their support in taking the Marathon to the level that it has attained within 3 years and underscored the fact that it has been able to foster and enhance the sense of goodwill and camaraderie in the neighbourhood.

Independent Director NRL Sneh Lata Kumar expressed her delight to be part of the event that promoted a collective feeling amongst NRL and its stakeholders along with promoting the motto of ‘Run to keep fit’.

Noted sports personalities like Arjuna Awardee and Asian Games gold medalist Bhogeswar Barua and world arm wrestling champion Joby Mathews graced the event and exhorted the importance of sports and physical fitness in their speeches at the concluding function.

Delivering his speech, Bhogeswar Baruah shared the struggles that he had to undergo and underscored the importance of dedication and perseverance that helped him surmount challenges.

On the other hand, 24-time world champion in arm wrestling, Joby Mathews from Kochi in Kerela encouraged the young participants with motivational words based citing moments of his life experiences.

“Despite being 60 pc orthopedically challenged by birth, I have been able to achieve much in life and therefore am of the firm belief that no challenge can cow you down if you have the will and dedication to achieve,” he said.

The platform of Numaligarh Marathon 2018 was also utilised to propagate the message of SAKSHAM (Sanrakshan Kshamata Mahotsav) 2018, an awareness campaign launched by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on conservation of petroleum products of the country on January 16.