Bhubaneswar: The 9th Sainik School-OMC Mini Marathon, which began at 6 am on Sunday morning in Bhubaneswar, drew enthusiastic participation from more than 1,200 runners, including around 600 cadets of the school and students of Sahodaya and government schools.
The event organized jointly by the Old Boys Association of the Sainik School in Bhubaneswar and the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), the marathon embodied the theme “Run for Fun” while promoting the message of a “Clean, Green and Pollution-Free Bhubaneswar.
Senior category participants completed a challenging 10-km course that began and ended at Gandhi Ground on the school campus. The route passed through Mancheswar Railway Colony Road, OMFED Chak, NALCO–Kalinga Hospital Square, Jayadev Vihar, Acharya Vihar Square, and Apollo Hospital Road. Junior runners followed a shorter route, covering Mancheswar Colony Road, OMFED Chak, NALCO–Kalinga Hospital Square, and Gajapati Nagar Road before returning to the campus.
The marathon was flagged off by Chief Guest Commanding Officer of 120 Territorial Army Battalion Colonel Rohit Singh, alo
ngside State Election Commissioner of Odisha and President of the Old Boys Association, Madhusudan Padhi.
Also present were Colonel Pankaj Kumar, Principal of Sainik School Bhubaneswar; Commander Manorama Pokheriya, Vice Principal; and Lieutenant Colonel Pritam Kamble, Administrative Officer. Senior OMC officials, prominent alumni including Amitav Swain and Col Sameer Lenka, and other distinguished old boys lent their support to ensure the event ran smoothly.
The winners across various categories were:
SSB Senior Boys: Vikas
SSB Girls: Abhipsa Saraf
SSB Junior Boys: Aman Kumar
SSB Class VI Boys: Pratyush Patra
SSB Class VI Girls: Shristi Tirkey
Outside Schools Senior Boys: Arman Nayak
Outside Schools Girls: Shreysri Mishra
Outside Schools Junior Boys: Debajyoti Patra and Shubham Ashish Diwedi (joint winners)
OBEANS Category: Commander Saroj Kumar Sahu
All winners, along with second and third-place finishers, received cash prizes from the Chief Guest.
In his address, Colonel Rohit Singh encouraged the youth to contribute to a cleaner, greener, and pollution-free Bhubaneswar by actively supporting government initiatives like Swachh Bharat. He commended the Old Boys Association for its ongoing efforts in organising the marathon and spreading environmental awareness.
Olympian Anuradha Biswal attended the prize distribution ceremony as Guest of Honour. She motivated the participants by highlighting the value of physical fitness, discipline, and sportsmanship.