The 12th edition of the prestigious Vasai Virar Marathon 2024 kicked off with great enthusiasm on Sunday, inaugurated by Olympic bronze and Commonwealth gold medal-winning wrestler Sakshi Malik. Local dignitaries graced the event, adding to its significance. The first 42 km race started at 5:30 AM, setting the pace for one of India’s most sought-after long-distance running competitions. This year’s marathon features a total prize money of ₹58 lakh, making it a top attraction for elite athletes and passionate runners across the country.
Former Vasai MLA Hitendra Thakur extended a warm welcome to Malik and extended his best wishes to all the 15,000 participants. The men's elite full marathon will be headlined by Army's Pradeep Singh, who boasts the fastest personal best of 2:16.55 in the field and is likely to face a strong challenge from Army-mate Dhanwant Prahlad, who has a personal best of 2:18.10.Two-time winner and last year's runner-up Mohit Rathor will also be in the fray. He holds the course record of 2:18.05, which he set in 2022.
The women's half marathon will feature the defending champion Prajakta Godbole from Maharashtra, who has a personal best of 1:14.21, Phoolan Pal (personal best of 1:16.20), Archana Jadhav, and Tamsi Singh. Western Railway has sanctioned two special trains for participants to travel to Vasai and Virar, departing from Churchgate Station at 2:30am and 3:00 am, respectively. Cash prizes have also been announced for a photography competition.Special buses have been also arranged by the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation to ferry participants from Vasai and Virar to the starting points of the half marathon, full marathon, 10K and 5K races.