Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 23 : Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, flagged off the 5km Run of the 8th edition of the WNC Navy Half Marathon 2025, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, on Sunday.
In this marathon, actors Suniel Shetty and Riteish Deshmukh, and Western Navy Command (WNC) Chief Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan also flagged off the 10 km segment of the WNC Navy Half Marathon.
The Vice Admiral and Western Naval Commander of India, Krishna Swaminathan, noted that the marathon is an outreach initiative of the Indian Navy and the Western Naval Command. He added that the 8th edition saw around 23,000 registrations, the highest in the marathon's history.
"The Western Naval Command Half marathon is an outreach effort of the Indian Navy and western Command to reach out to city of Mumbai and all Mumbaikers, It is an event of high importance in annual calendar, and I am happy to report, that the 8th edition we are having today has seen the highest registration of 23,000 people, normally we keep our registerations open for about 2 months, after announcing the run, but this time, we have to close our registerations within 29 days, because we got the numbers that we wanted..." Swaminathan told reporters.
The Maharashtra Assembly Speaker, Rahul Narvekar, praised the event, saying it sends a message of Fit India in society, and said that all participants took part enthusiastically.
"Western Navy Command has organized a Half Marathon and all the participants took part enthusiastically, and such events give out the message of Fit India in the society..." Narvekar told reporters.
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Dinesh K. Tripathi, distributed prizes for the Half Marathon. He expressed happiness over the event, noting that the WNC Half Marathon has now become an integral part of Mumbai's running circuit and that over 20,000 people participated in this event. The Navy Chief also highlighted participation from all age groups and thanked everyone for taking part in the event.
He further emphasised that the 8th edition of the marathon aims to increase physical fitness and environmental awareness among the people.
"I am very happy to participate in the WNC half marathon. As you know, this is the 8th edition of this run..It has become a part of the running circuit of Mumbai. In today's run, more than 20,000 runners participated. People from all age groups participated. Many of the kids were in the arms. And senior citizens of all ages. One thing that was common among them was that they had a smile on their faces..There was a kind of enthusiasm, which shows that our citizens, our youth, have a lot of faith in fitness. If you have read the subtext of this edition, Safe seas, safe coasts, make for a healthy living, healthy environment. So, in this way, the 8th edition of the half marathon increases physical fitness and environmental awareness...I would like to thank everyone who participated in this. They got up early in the morning and gave their precious time. And made our initiative a success..." Tripathi told reporters.