Rawalpindi Hosts Successful Marathon Event
Rawalpindi recently hosted a magnificent marathon event on Sunday, starting from Liaquat Bagh Sports Complex and continuing all the way to Sheikh Bashir Sports Complex in Shamsabad. The marathon covered a distance of five kilometers and saw participation from 4,000 athletes, including elderly citizens. The event featured three different categories: Senior citizens, Open, and Under-16. The successful participants were awarded a total of 378,000 rupees in prizes, along with certificates for all participants.
The winner in the Open category completed the race in an impressive 15 minutes and 30 seconds, while the victor in the Under-16 category finished in 16 minutes. All athletes were required to reach Liaquat Bagh by 7 a.m., with the mini-marathon event running from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., commencing with the national anthem. Dr. Hassan Tariq, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Rawalpindi, inaugurated the event.
Several dignitaries, including Amanullah Khan, the Chief Executive Officer of District Education, Shams Toheed Abbasi, the District Sports Officer, and officials from various educational and sports departments, were present at the prize distribution ceremony held at Sheikh Bashir Sports Complex. Special guest Raja Muhammad Hanif extended congratulations to all winners, emphasizing the importance of promoting such cultural and healthy activities in Punjab. He thanked the Punjab government for providing prize money of 378,000 rupees to successful athletes, with 15 prizes reserved for Under-19, 20 for the Open category, and 10 for players over 50 years old. Shields were presented to the officials of the Education and Sports Departments, with Raja Muhammad Hanif receiving a shield from the Additional Deputy Commissioner.
The top three winners in each category received cash prizes, with Muhammad Qasim securing the first position and a prize of 50,000 rupees, Muhammad Usman receiving 40,000 rupees for the second position, and Babar Ali taking home 30,000 rupees for the third position. Dr. Hassan Tariq praised the citizens of Rawalpindi for their enthusiastic participation and the sports sector for organizing the event seamlessly.
