NKDA's first-ever all women marathon a hit

Braving an early morning drizzle, around 200 participants took part in the first-ever all women marathon in New Town on Saturday.

The marathon was organised by New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) and its New Town Business Club to create awareness on women empowerment as a part of the events marking International Women's Day, which fell on March 8.

There was great enthusiasm among the marathon participants, which included school girls, young adults and senior citizens.

The women assembled at the Business Club and covered a 5 km route.

Before the marathon started, there was a warm up session where the participants took part in a break dance.

Policemen were deployed on the route, along with a medical team, ambulance and a physiotherapist.

No participant, however, fell ill and all of them completed the route.

All those who took part were given prizes, which included books and tickets to visit Eco Park or Nazrul Tirtha and Mother's Wax Museum – as part of efforts to popularise various tourist spots that have come up in New Town.

New Town has come up as a major tourist destination and the footfall in Eco Park has reached nearly 55 lakh. For quite some time, many women's groups in New Town had requested senior NKDA officials to organise such a marathon.

These groups played an important role in creating awareness among participants and making the marathon a success.