GUWAHATI, Aug 25 - The Guwahati edition of the �SBI Pinkathon� powered by Women�s Horlicks to be held in the city on September 27 at Sonaram ground will see around 3,000 women participating in the event.
An initiative by the United Sisters Foundation and organised by Maximus Events & Media Solutions, India�s biggest women�s run is aimed at encouraging an active lifestyle and overall fitness among women, while creating a much needed awareness about breast cancer and bone health and encourage thousands of new or first-timer women to take up running.
Online registrations are open for the 3-km, 5-km and Volini 10-km multi-category runs. The organisers along with supermodel, actor, fitness enthusiast, avid barefoot runner and Pinkathon founder Milind Soman formally announced the launch of the maiden run in Guwahati at a press conference here today.
Present at the conference were eminent dignitaries like the Everest summiteer Anshu Jamsenpa, Assamese actress Zerifa Wahid, Parbati Barua of the Queen of the Elephants fame and many others, who expressed their wholehearted support for the noble cause.
The organisers announced that all proceeds raised from the event will be used for the expenses incurred in organising and marketing the event, and by the Women�s Cancer Initiative in its fight against breast cancer. All the participants in the event will also get a free mammogram from GNRC Hospital.
Expressing delight on the launch of the first edition of the SBI Pinkathon in Guwahati, Milind Soman said, �We are very excited to bring Pinkathon to Guwahati. We are confident the city and its people will support us and help make this run a success.�
The supermodel said, �Pinkathon is more than a marathon. It is the seed of change and the beginning of a movement that is carried forward by a growing community of empowered women across India, who share a belief that a healthy family, a healthy nation and a healthy world begins with empowered women.�
The SBI Pinkathon is being organised in eight cities of the country where women will participate in multi-distance runs such as 3 km, 5 km, 10 km and 21 km. Here the women can not only take part in running gear but also in sarees, salwar kameez, hijabs or whatever attire they deem fit and comfortable.
Reema Sanghavi, managing director, Maximus Events further said, �SBI Pinkathon has already been held in cities like Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru and will be happening in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Pune and Mumbai in the later part of the year. The multi-city national event received an overwhelming support with over 50,000 women of all ages, across different walks of life from six cities in the year 2014. This number is expected to cross 75,000 in 2015 with eight cities.�
As a precursor to the main day, the team is organising unique events such as the Cancer Shero Trek. A �shero� is a cancer survivor and this event is dedicated towards felicitating those survivors. Starting with a trek, this event felicitates cancer survivors with a feel-good event and each one is honoured with an �I Inspire� medal and certificate.
In the SBI Pinkathon ten visually impaired girls will participate in the 5-km run. To prepare them for the main day, a training session has been designed to assist the visually impaired participants. With every visually impaired participant, a sighted runner is allotted to run alongside them.
Monali Bhardwaj, who is a breast cancer survivor, Hiramoni Kalita from the Guwahati Blind High School, and RJ Mandy from Red FM were announced as the mascots for the 3-km, 5-km and Volini 10-km categories respectively. They are being currently trained to run in the 3-km, 5-km and Volini 10-km categories.
