Hyderabad: Runners not only had fun taking part in the Hyderabad Marathon, they also raised/donated money for charity in the process.
Participants had the option of donating money while registering for the run and the money raised would be distributed among six partner NGOs — L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, The Artificial Limb Bank Foundation of India, Save the Rocks Foundation, Asha for Education, Isha Vidhya and Sphoorthi Foundation. The money received through voluntary donations has been estimated at about Rs 3-4 lakh.
Runners also had the option to run for a particular cause and generate funds through their own campaigns, and 10 individuals participated in the event. One such participant claimed to have raised Rs 12.5 lakh for the NGO, Heal a Child.
Around 400 employees of 10 corporates also ran for charity. The corporates sent their employees after paying the partner NGOs a sum as part of their CSR activity for which their employees got discounts in the registration fees. One of the organisers of the marathon said that their aim was to raise Rs 20-25 lakh and that the target had been reached. He, however, added “Compared to the Mumbai marathon, the money raised in the Hyderabad marathon is nothing. In Mumbai it is in crores. Many celebrities take part in the Mumbai marathon apart from hundreds of corporate firms. Hopefully in the coming years there will be more awareness and the funds raised in the Hyderabad marathon will also increase.”
