Fitness enthusiasts, marathon runners and many more from age 14 to 60+ took part in the fourth edition of the ‘Safe Drive Save Life’ half marathon by Kolkata Police on Sunday, January 21. According to Kolkata Police, more than 24,000 people participated in the event across three race categories — 21km, 10km and 5km.
The 21km race was flagged off at 5.30am from the Red Road Western Flank (Towards Red Road South) and was finished at Bengal Hockey Association Ground. The 10km began at the same point at 6am and ended at the University Ground while the 5km race, started at 8.30am, ended at the Rangers Ground.
Commissioner of Kolkata Police Vineet Kumar Goyal and other senior officers of Kolkata Police and Kolkata Traffic Police flagging off a race
Speaking about the half marathon, Vineet Kumar Goyal, commissioner of Kolkata Police, said, “Safe Drive Save Life is a campaign that was launched by chief minister Mamata Banerjee in 2016, with the vision to promote road safety. It aims to spread awareness while promoting fitness among the citizens.”
Several celebrities were present to flag off the marathon and many also joined the run. Actress Devlina Kumar and politician Abhishek Banerjee joined other participants for the 10km event. While Sourav Ganguly came in to flag off the 5km run, actors Abir Chatterjee and Dev also dropped by to cheer on the runners.
Actor Dev cheered on the participants, while (right) Sourav Ganguly flagged off the 5km
People joined in groups as well, running with friends and family. One such group came from Hatibagan. Swarna Dey, who exercises and goes for regular morning walks, came in with her husband Tristub Dey, who is a footballer, and friend Tridib Dutta. Dutta, who is a regular table tennis player said, “We decided to participate after a close friend of ours, who works in the Kolkata Police, sent us the registration link. We all had a wonderful time together today.” Swarna Dey said, “This time we participated in the 5km race and it was quite smooth. We completed in I think 30 minutes. Next year we are planning to aim for 10km.”
L-R: Swarna Dey, Tristub Dey and Tridib Dutta from Hatibagan, and 67-year-old Theodore Pitts from south Kolkata ran the 5km stretch
My Kolkata also came across Theodore Pitts, a retired English teacher from La Martiniere for Boys School. The 67-year-old south Kolkata resident has participated in almost 14 marathons across the city this winter. “This is my eighth 5km marathon since December 3, 2023. I have six more to run till March 2024. I participate in the KP Half Marathon every year. Next year I will try to do the 10km. It is my way to keep fit at this age. I run and walk daily,” he said.
Family members of Kolkata Police officers also joined in. Bhaswati Roy, whose husband works as a constable at Eastern Suburban Division of Beliaghata came from Behala to participate while Moumita Singha (20), whose father is posted at Burrabazar Police Station, came down from Sikkim. First time marathon runner Bhaswati found a partner to run with when she met Moumita. “It was fun participating in this marathon for the first time. I got a partner (points at Moumita) who motivated me so it was not very difficult to complete,” she said. Moumita, who “tries to keep fit as much as I can” thought about participating since she was in Kolkata for the holidays.
L-R: Aishani Basu and Suvankar Saha ran the 5km stretch, and family members of Kolkata Police personnel, Moumita Singha and Bhaswati Roy found a running partner in each other
Among other young participants was Aishani Basu and friend Suvankar Saha. Aishani was also home on holiday and delayed her return to Delhi, where she works, to participate in the marathon. “I was planning to go back this week, but I stayed for the marathon. My friend is into sports and is a great runner. He encouraged me to participate, and honestly speaking, I don't follow any fitness regime. Nonetheless, we finished the 5km race in about 35-40 minutes approximately.”
Participants near the finish line for the 10km stretch
Kolkata Police and Kolkata Traffic Police personnel were deployed throughout the marathon trail for the safety and security of the participants. The footfall of this year was more than expected and registrations were closed down within a week. Speaking to My Kolkata, Aloke Sanyal, assistant commissioner of police, Kolkata Traffic Police said, “We were expecting around 20,000 people but the number shot to more than that. We had almost 25,000 participants. It was a very successful event with lots of known faces joining us for the flag off and races. It was good to see that people of all ages and genders took part.”
