Today (August 31) is the last day to register for the Coimbatore Marathon. The annual event is organised by the Coimbatore Cancer Foundation (CCF), in association with Coimbatore Runners, and other sponsors. The theme for this year’s run is ‘It’s all about making a choice.’

The marathon is scheduled to be hosted on October 2 (Sunday), 2016. About 11,000 runners are expected to participate in the fourth edition of the marathon this year. Funds raised from the event will be used to support patients suffering from cancer.

Dr Balaji, Managing Trustee of the Coimbatore Cancer Foundation, said, “We are now preparing for the fourth edition of our annual marathon. This has become an event eagerly looked forward to by both recreational and serious runners. The previous editions have helped raised awareness about our activities, and we have raised funds which enabled us to reach out to more cancer patients and the community at large with our awareness talks, screening camps, etc. We look forward to the continuing support from the citizens of Coimbatore for the event, and from runners across the country.”

Runners can choose to participate in the five kilometre walk or run, 10-kilometre run, or the half marathon, which is the 21 kilometre run, by paying the prescribed registration fees. Participants can register online at the official website, http://www.coimbatoremarathon.com. Students can avail a discount by producing their valid identity card at the time of registering online. Offline registrations can be done at the Coimbatore Cancer Foundation at GKNM Hospital, or at the CAI Mahindra showrooms located on Avinashi Road, and on Trichy Road.

The prize money of Rs.1.5 lakhs will be presented to the winners in separate categories, for men and women. The prize money for the half marathon open category is Rs.25,000, Rs. 5,000 and Rs.10,000 respectively for the first, second, and third place holders, while for the top three places in the 10 kilometre open category, the prize money is Rs.15,000, Rs.10,000 and Rs.5,000 respectively. For veterans, aged 45 years and over, the prize money is Rs. 15,000, Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 5,000 for first, second, and third spots respectively for the half marathon, and Rs.10,000, Rs.7,500 and Rs.5,000 for the 10 kilometre run. Registered participants will receive a running bib, goodie bag, T-shirt at the pre-event expo, and a beautiful medal at the finishing line.

The Marathon route will be fully supported by aid stations, hydration points, medical facilities, ambulance services, on-course entertainment, route-markers, course marshals, and finish area refreshments. Timing chip will be used to keep track of the participants and provide official and personal times in half marathon and 10 kilometre categories.

The helpline number for the Coimbatore Marathon is 89398-01188