Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU Dec 19: Lauding growing interest among youth towards sports and athletics, BJP leader and former legislator Devender Singh Rana today said the importance of physical activity is not only imperative for overall growth and fitness but beyond it too also for mental agility.
Flagging off the 4th edition of ‘Surinsar Lake Half Marathon’ at the picturesque tourist destination, Rana said running in particular has many health benefits apart from imbibing the spirit of camaraderie and sportsmanship.
Rana said that by holding events like this, the message goes around loud and clear about the significance of physical fitness. Fitness tunes the body, the only place a human being actually lives in. Therefore, running together keeps people in good stead as these are the occasion to have fun and good times also, he added.
The BJP leader referred to the holding of marathons on regular intervals across the nation with prominent people in various disciplines of life taking the lead role in such events to inspire youngsters towards physical activities and sports. He expressed satisfaction and happiness about this culture gaining momentum in this part of the country as well.
“Let’s imbibe the message and appreciate the importance of marathons”, he told the participants and wished them good times in such special events. He said watching the activity itself is an exciting experiment.
The prominent organisers of the marathon, Rajeshwar Singh Baloria and Sanjeev Chadda from the Jammu Runners briefed Rana about the event, saying 120 marathon runners will cover the steep hill stretch or 21 kilometres.
The main highlight and source of inspiration of the event was a veteran S Jaswant Singh, (82), Rana lauded the endurance of the veteran, saying this will inspire the youth of the area in a big way.
The BJP leader complimented the organizers Jammu Runners Sidhra for taking lead in holding the event, which he described as a defining moment in promoting the sports culture.
Prominent marathon runners who were present at the event included Sharad Sharma, Muktha, Shivangi and others.
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