Bengaluru, 27th April 2025:
At the break of dawn, 35,000 gleeful runners took to the start-line on Cubbon Road, for the TCS World 10K on Sunday. The 17th edition of the World Athletics Gold Label race was a celebration of the spirit of the city #endendigubengaluru or #foreverbengaluru which witnessed 21,403 runners across all age groups in the Open 10K category, about 10,631 runners in the majja run category, 1683 participants in the senior citizens category, and a heart-warming 699 participants in the champions with disability category while 207 runners were from the Karnataka Police.
In a first, the race saw over 9,000 women participants – underlining a 140 per cent increase in women’s participation since the inception of the race in 2008.
Underscoring the spirit of Bengaluru and the city’s love for the event, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, “First, I would like to congratulate all the 35,000 participants who have come from different parts of the country and the world for this great event. I am very happy, being the Deputy CM and the Minister of Bengaluru, to see so many people come from different parts of the world and India for this race. It is a great moment for Bengaluru to also have the Olympic Champion Joshua Cheptegei participating in the race and a decorated Olympic Champion like Delilah Mohammad as the ambassador. I would especially like to congratulate the organisers for supporting the cause of greener Bengaluru.”
G Parmeshwara, Home Minister and Chairman Karnataka Athletics Association (KAA), said, “TCS World 10K Bengaluru has become one of the biggest events in the world, this race not only represents our city but also represents a sportive generation and sends out the message of peace and harmony in the society. I would like to congratulate the entire Police Department for the necessary security protocols.”
The race day also saw Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya complete the Open 10K with an impressive time of one hour and eight minutes as his newly-wedded wife Sivasri cheered him on from the sidelines. Several IAS officers including Rajendra Kataria, Principal Secretary, Government of Karnataka participated. Among celebrities, Mandira Bedi was part of the majja run while several dignitaries including the hon’ble Governor of Karnataka Thawar Chand Gehlot, Shantinagar MLA NA Harris, Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad, Malleshwaram MLA Ashwathnarayan were part of the flag-off for various categories.
International Event Ambassador Dalilah hails the race
Multiple Olympic Champion and former world record holder in 400m hurdles Dalilah Mohammad, who is the international ambassador of the race, highlighted the efforts behind-the-scenes to host an event of this magnitude. “I have been here for a few days now and to see what has gone behind-the-scenes is impressive. To also see so many women participate has been inspiring. This race truly brings out the spirit of the city,” Dalilah said.
Vian Fernandes, 37-year-old musician who travelled from Doha for this race, mentioned a unique change in this year’s edition where he ran Open 10K. He said, “This year the music element was completely different. The first band on the route was completely Western Thai kind of music tone and then there was someone with the sitar and the djembe, then there were back-pipers and there were also the traditional dollu kunitha that represents Karnataka. So, at different stations, at different kilometer points, there were different bands playing which sounded completely unique and it was very refreshing to listen to all of that while we sweat it out making it a surreal experience.”
Philanthropy at the heart of the race
There were more than 35 companies, 200+ fundraising drives and 75 NGOs involved in driving philanthropy, which has been the heart of this event. One such NGOs participating as the Akshara Foundation. “There were almost 25 runners who participated for Akshara Foundation. While philanthropy drives us to participate in this race, it also promotes and inspires people to adapt to a fitter lifestyle,” expressed Praveen.
As soon as the race ended, in the early hours of the afternoon, the work force was at play to clear the entire route by 3pm which included waste management. The venue had more than 160 people working round-the-clock and over 150 volunteers manning the race route.
