| 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 (2008) |
| Course records | Men: 2:19:30 Women: 3:16:56 |
| Official site | Kolkata Marathon |
| Participants | ≈6,000 participants (2022) 841 (2019) |
TheKolkata Marathon (officiallyIDBI Federal Life Insurance Kolkata Full Marathon) is a marathon held annually inKolkata,West Bengal,India. It was launched in 2008. The marathon is the largest inEastern 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 theAthletics 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 theRio Olympics 2016.[5]
IDBI Federal Life Insurance is the title sponsor for 2017 edition of the race.[7]Indian cricket playerSachin Tendulkar is the Brand Ambassador for the 2017 marathon.
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]
The marathon starts from theRed Road in front of the Rangers club. The course then goes through the various landmarks in the city, including historic Park Street,Maidan and theVictoria area.[1][5]
Key: Course record Half marathon
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (h:m:s) | Women's winner | Time (h:m:s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2008 | 2:20:53 | Winner not available | Time not available | |
| 2nd | 2009 | 2:21:07 | |||
| 3rd | 2010 | 2:20:49 | |||
| — | 2011 | Did not held | |||
| — | 2012 | ||||
| — | 2013 | ||||
| 4th | 2014 | 2:19:30 | Winner not available | Time not available | |
| 5th | 2015 | 2:25:54 | |||
| 6th | 2016 | 2:30:35 | |||
| 7th | 2017 | 2:34:02 | 4:59:11 | ||
| 8th | 2018 | 2:35:10 | 4:19:36 | ||
| 9th | 2019 | 2:35:42 | 3:16:56 | ||
| 10th | 2020 | 2:30:30 | 3:24:02 | ||
| 11th | 2021 | 2:37:44 | 3:58:02 | ||
| 12th | 2022 | 2:42:42 | 4:01:16 | ||