FICCI FLO Pune Chapter concludes its 5th Edition of Pune FLO Half Marathon presented by Bridgestone

Pune, December 8, 2019: This morning FICCI FLO Pune Chapter concluded the 5th edition of the Pune FLO Half Marathon which witnessed 9000 participants taking part in this “Run for Empowerment”. Last year it had 7200 participants, and every year it have had a steady growth and progress in the number of runners as well as with the organization and planning of the marathon becoming colossal year on year. This is the flagship fundraiser event of the Pune Chapter wherein all funds generated go towards the social projects and initiatives of the chapter focused towards women empowerment. This year, happy to share that Pune FLO Half Marathon being accredited and certified with AIMS and under the aegis of PDAA. This international certification entitles the FLO Pune Half Marathon to be a qualifier run in the fraternity of Marathons across the world. Year 2019 first in five years being the conceptual year for this monumental achievement. Another milestone has been the participation and support from 167 corporates and several institutions along with government schools which had a “Special Run” segment for children who were partially blind and disabled. This indeed was special for the children to be a part of this Run and partake in the fun and joy of the Marathon. The 5th Edition is special in many ways- fun and fitness activities at corporates prior to the Marathon to build up the momentum and get more people involved, involvement of several sponsors and partners who wholeheartedly came on board to support FLO Pune right to the flag offs which were carried out in such a manner so to not disturb public and traffic, and ensure the safe running and movement of the participants. Partnering us for the second consecutive year was our Presenting sponsor Bridgestone who believed in the work and endeavours of FLO Pune and came forward to be a part of this Run as a principal sponsor. Eminent sponsors who were on board this year included Barclays, Ashok Leyland, Credit Suisse, Finolex, Magarpatta while some corporates such as Sudarshan and Standard Chartered came forward to support us for the first time for the 5th Edition. Funds generated from this year’s Marathon will be deployed for initiatives of women empowerment with special focus on support to women farmers in Osmanabad, to starting the bee cultivation program as well as connecting women farmers to food processing and manufacturing organisations which will enable these ladies to earn their own livelihood and be financially stable. Furthermore providing vocational training to the girls of ITI Girls College and conducting a short course on geriatric care with Tata Strive is in the anvil. The phase 2 of the cancer vaccination program will also be boosted with these funds along with Rotary clubs. With today’s fundraiser we at FLO strive to impact , enrich and empower the lives of women from different walks of life. Chief Guest today was Ms. Gauri Khan who was actively seen cheering the winners and was an integral part of the prize distribution ceremony. Seen at the marathon was Mr. Parag Satpute – MD Bridgestone India, Mr. Chandrakant Dalvi- Ex Divisional Commissioner , Mr. Sunil Ramanand – IG Prisons, Mr. Suresh Mayangade- Deputy Commissioner Maharashtra Police, Ms. Ritu Prakash Chhabria- Chairperson FLO Pune, Ms. Usha Kakade, Mr. Mike Lilburn- MD Barclays, Mr. Sathish Magar- MD Magarpatta , Mr. Prakash Chhabria- Chairman Finolex Group, Mr. Parag Sancheti, Mr. Ajay Sharma, Ms. Aneeta Sanas , FLO Team and corporates . Winners for today’s 5th edition of the Pune FLO Half Marathon in the top category 21km Men was Navin Hudda clocking a time of 1.21.52 secs while the 21km women was Kavita Reddy with a perfect score of 1.39.04 secs. Prizes across various categories were given out to the top runners. Indeed a memorable Sunday morning Pune has witnessed.