Vadodara's heritage inspires 64,000 runners

At the crack of dawn, thousands braved the Sunday chill to converge on the Navlakhi Grounds for the 10th edition of MG Vadodara International Marathon.

Even chief minister Bhupendra Patel, who flagged off the five-kilometre race, along with state sports minister Harsh Sanghavi ran on the streets along with more than 64,000 participants.

Participants in the 42km category were the first to be flagged off at 5am followed by the 22km and 10km race, respectively. The Divyang Run category too saw huge participation.

Both international and local marathon participants relished the beauty of Vadodara's heritage as they ran by the centuries-old old gates and monuments in the city. Many were seen clicking selfies in the backdrop of Mandvi, Nyay Mandir, and Lehripura Gate.

More than 6,000 runners took part in the 10km category, said VIM officials.