Winter is here and it’s more tempting than ever to stay in bed late, but we have news that will make you want to beat the sheets and put on your running shoes! You got it, it’s that time of the year again — the Tata Steel Kolkata 25K is here! ICYMI, the TSK 25K is an AIMS-certified race that was started in 2014 and is the only World Athletics Elite Label Road Race over this distance.
Promoted by Procam International, this global running festival attracts participants from across the world. Two-time Grand Slam tennis singles champion Mary Pierce is the International Event Ambassador for the upcoming seventh edition. More excitement — participants of the colourful Ananda Run (4.5K) will get an opportunity to meet women’s cricket legend Jhulan Goswami and the queen of Bengali cinema Subhashree Ganguly, who will be encouraging the runners.
The International elite field for the USD 100,000 prize fund race will be headlined by the 2022 Commonwealth Games marathon champion Victor Kiplangat of Uganda in the men’s section and the 2022 Tokyo Marathon runner-up Ashete Bekere of Ethiopia on the women’s side.
What makes the TSK 25K awesome is that it offers the chance to start small to those who are looking to someday run a classic marathon. There are different distances one can choose from among the 25K, the popular 10K, the colourful Ananda Run (4.5K), the Senior Citizens’ Run (2.3K) and the Champions with Disability Run (2.3K). So if you’re someone who wants to finish a 42 km run someday, this is a good run to graduate from.
The course for the race has been crafted in such a way that it takes runners past some of Kolkata’s most iconic sights, like the Raj Bhavan, the Eden Gardens, under the Howrah Railway Bridge over the Hooghly River, Fort William Golf Course, and the Victoria Memorial, before returning to the Red Road finish line.
The TSK 25K is also the single largest sports philanthropy platform in the region and witnesses people from all walks of life come together. This year, the event takes on a larger meaning of hope, faith, and belief that things will get better from here. #NotunJoshNotunRun So, tie your laces, stretch your legs and get ready to channel the Forrest Gump in you!
