Bengaluru International Midnight Marathon 2011 Is Back

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Republic of (Free-Press-Release.com) November 4, 2011 --

Bengaluru, Thursday, November 03, 2010 The 5th edition of the much-awaited Bengaluru International Midnight Marathon (BIMM) 2011 was announced at a press conference here today. Thousands of professional runners, corporate professionals and NGOs are expected to participate in the BIMM 2011 being organized by Rotary Bangalore IT Corridor (RBITC) in Whitefield on Saturday night, 10th December 2011. This year’s theme is “Run for a Child”. The online registrations for the individual events of BIMM 2011 have started from October 20, 2011. Participants can register online by logging onto www.midnightmarathon.in and for those who simply want to enjoy the event of the year; there is music and entertainment to keep you rocking.

BIMM is the main fundraising event for RBITC’s social service projects relating to education, child welfare, environment, health, community development and vocational services. The theme for this year’s Midnight Marathon is “Run for a Child”. The primary objective is to raise funds for children. RBITC will use the net proceeds for projects in the sectors of health, education and for addressing various other social issues.

“More than 7,000 people participated last year. We expect a lot more participation this time as BIMM has emerged as a very important sporting event, particularly among the IT-ITES community as well as the international runners,” the RBITC charter-President and ABIDe member Mr. RK Misra announced at the press conference here.

The RBITC President, Ms. Sheila Premkumar said the theme “Run for a Child” is in line with the nation’s concern for the overall development of children, who are the future generation of this country.

RBITC has tied up with Manipal Hospital to provide medical facilities at the venue on the day of the race. Karnataka Reserve Police has been deployed to take up security at the event.

A key highlight this year is the addition of the 10k Run. Sharing his views, Mr. Gul Muhammed Akbar, Race Director for BIMM 2011 said, “Running is still at an infancy stage in our country. Awareness for marathons in India is very low unlike abroad where there is large participation for any running events. Famous marathons like the ones in London or the Dublin one receives more than one lakh applications for participation of which only 45,000 are chosen to run the marathon. Compare that to our country where we have less than 300 professional marathon runners in the entire country. We want more and more people to start taking to running in a big way. Through our efforts, we hope to increase participation year on year. We hope that this initiative undertaken by us increases the awareness about the benefits of running too.”

He further added, “We have designed the track in such a way that the participants don’t find the run monotonous, at the half mark, which is 2.5kms of every lap there is a turn. Further more surrounding the track there is a place for spectators to cheer the runners on their way and motivate them to put in their best efforts.”

Funds generated from the previous BIMM’s have gone towards the Rotary club’s own flagship “Green Dream” project of planting 1 lakh trees in Whitefield. In addition, funds have been utilized in providing free spinal and eye surgeries for the needy, toilets, classrooms and mid-day meals in schools, scholarships for deserving youth, vocational training sponsorships, a bus for transporting eye-care patients from rural areas and an ambulance in Whitefield, among a host of other similar activities according to Ms. Sheila Premkumar, President of RBITC.

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Rajiv, Chairman of BIMM 2011 shared, “Whitefield should be the destination that everyone is headed to, on the night of December 10, 2011. An equally exciting cultural extravaganza including music, folk dances and other entertainment will support the spirit of sportsmanship at the event.” He added, “We have over the years constantly strived to include as diverse a set of events as possible so that people across all age groups from across the city and beyond can participate and make the event a grand success.”

Mr. Bhaskar Sharma, renowned marathon runner who was present at the press conference shared his experiences and also highlighted how running is beneficial for the mind, body and soul. He said, “Running a marathon is an experience that's difficult to put into words. Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.”
More on the race on www.midnightmarathon.in

BIMM 2011 Events and Schedule on Race Day – December 10-11, 2011

1. IT City Fun Run - 5 Kms. 2030 hrs.

2. Community Relay - 5 x 1 Km. each 2115 hrs.

3. 10K Run - 10 Kms. 2200 hrs.

4. Marathon - 42.195 Kms. 2359 hrs.

5. Half Marathon - 21.95 Kms. 2359 hrs.

6. Women’s Relay Cup - 8 x 5 Kms. each 0030 hrs.

7. Corporate Relay Cup - 8 x 5 Kms. each 0045 hrs.

• Online Registrations and Race/Route details available at www.midnightmarathon.in
• For Corporate and Women’s Relay participation contact Viraf @ 98455 46880
• Cash prizes for 10k, Half & Full Marathon events - individually in Men and Women category
• Timing chips will be provided for 10k, Half and Full Marathon runners only. No chip, no timing.
• Registration Fee for IT City Fun Run – Rs. 300/- per individual. Eligibility – 12 years and above only, as on Dec. 10, 2011.

• Registration Fee for 10k, Half and Full Marathon – Rs. 600/- per individual. Includes timing chip and Rs. 100/- deposit on return of chip. Eligibility – 18 years and above as on Dec. 10, 2011