BSF set to host Wular Half Marathon on Oct 12 in Bandipora

The Border Security Force (BSF) will host the second Wular Half Marathon in Bandipora on October 12 with the aim to promote environmental awareness, community bonding and positive engagement among local youngsters, an officer said on Saturday.

The marathon will be held under the theme of ‘Save Wular Run with Borderman’ and will feature three race formats — 5 km, 10 km and 21.1 km, which is open to both men and women, the officer said.

The BSF spokesperson said that the T-shirt unveiling ceremony for the marathon was held at Hangul Officer’s Institute, BSF Frontier headquarters at Humhama here.

The event aims to promote environmental awareness, foster bonding with the local populace and encourage youth to focus on positive goals, the spokesperson added.

Around 3,000 participants from across the nation, specifically the Kashmir Valley, are expected to participate in the event for which the free registration has commenced, he added.

The event aims to identify local talent and sponsor them under the ‘Khelo India scheme’ of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for further training and participation in national and international running events.

The Wular Half Marathon 2.0 seeks to protect the environmental crown of Kashmir, the Wular Lake, which is the second largest freshwater lake of Asia, located in north Kashmir, the spokesperson said, adding that the event promotes environmental awareness, sportsmanship and tourism in the valley.